Maggie rushed outside where Rock was waiting.
"They hired me," she gushed, feeling relieved.
Rock smiled. "Good. It's a good thing for you this worked out. I'm makin' some other changes too. You're moving in with Juju, for starters. The other thing is, instead of trolling the Avenue, I'm gonna set ya up with clients in the apartments we use for our hourly customers. I'll tell them you're a stripper, and that'll bring them in. This way I can keep track of your tricks so ya can't rip me off anymore."
Maggie thought about what Rock just said, and her excitement mounted at moving in with Juju and Seth. It didn't matter that they would be living on top of each other in the small, rundown, studio apartment. The only thing that really mattered was they would be together.
"Sure, Rock," she said casually, trying to hide her excitement. "I'll do whatever you want."
"Damn fuckin' straight you'll do whatever I want," Rock mumbled as he walked toward his car with Maggie following closely behind him.
During the drive back to Kensington, Rock explained that he would be "loaning" her money for new costumes, and she would have to pay it back.
"Armando will drop ya off and pick ya up for your shifts. Don't even think of pulling any funny shit 'cause I'll have people on the inside watching ya. No lying, no stealing, no bullshit, or you and your friends will pay the consequences. This is the last chance you're gonna get," he warned.
Maggie watched out the window of the car as the road raced by them. She remembered when she was a little girl, staring out the window, watching the scenery whiz by when her parents took Keith and her to New York for a day. Back then, the road was leading her on a magical journey to a big city filled with excitement. Now, as the trees became a green blur, her heart ached for the life she'd lost, and she wondered if she'd ever have that exhilarating feeling again.
When they got back to the house of whores, Maggie walked into the shared living area and began to gather her measly belongings, while Armando and Rock talked privately in the other room. Finally, the two men emerged. Armando told Maggie how everything was going to work.
"You're gonna work the latest shift ya can at Doubles and as many of them as ya can get. When ya ain't dancin', you'll be entertainin' some high-end clients," Armando said.
By high-end clients, Armando meant people who were willing to pay by the hour.
Maggie nodded. "Right. Can I go now?" She was chomping at the bit to get back to Juju's and tell them her news.
Rocked pulled out his handgun and placed it against Maggie's temple. "One more thing," he added. "If ya try to run or contact anyone, remember that I'll kill you, Seth, Juju, and your whole fuckin' family. There ain't nowhere ya can hide from me."
The seriousness with which Rock made his threat made Maggie's insides quiver. She knew Rock's long reach and was certain he'd kill all of them if she dared to try to escape his clutches.
"Be back here at seven o'clock tonight. I got your first client lined up," Armando chimed in.
Once outside, Maggie tore down the street toward Juju's. When she got to the apartment, she burst through the door, bending over to catch her breath. Juju and Seth sat on the mattress, the small television blaring cartoons into the tiny space.
"What happened, Aggie?" Seth squealed, running to her.
"I just got the best news ever," Maggie managed between breaths.
"What? What is it?" Seth asked, waiting in anticipation to hear the good news.
"We are all going to live together," she revealed, a single tear gliding down her cheek.
Seth threw his arms around Maggie's legs and hugged her tightly. Juju walked over, beaming, and put her arm over her friend's shoulder.
"How the hell did you pull that off?" Juju asked, hoping it was for real.
Maggie winked at Juju. "Oh, it just worked itself out. We can talk about all that later."
It only took a second for Juju to catch on that Maggie didn't want to discuss it in front of Seth. She hoped her friend hadn't made a bad deal or taken on more than she had bargained for. Later, when she learned the truth, she was surprised by Rock's actions-pleasantly surprised, of course-but she felt there must be more to it than he'd let on to Maggie.
Later that day, before Maggie was to return to the house of whores to meet Armando, the three took a bus into South Philly for an early dinner. Maggie had wanted to try a particular place she'd overheard some of the other hookers talking about.
Thirty minutes later, Maggie, Juju, and Seth were standing outside the Melrose Diner on Snyder Avenue. The building looked as if it were made of glass and aluminum foil. There was a clock shaped like a coffee mug set in the middle of the restaurant sign.
Inside, there were red vinyl benches, Formica tables, and lots of chrome. The floor was black-and-white checkerboard tile. This wasn't a restaurant made to recreate the past; it was a real part of old South Philly, and aside from a few upgrades, the place had remained the same for over fifty years.
The waitress, a woman clearly in her late sixties, moseyed over to the table and greeted them with a welcoming smile. "Well, now. Welcome to the Melrose Diner. Have you dined with us before?"
Maggie politely responded, "No ma'am. This is our first time. We heard wonderful things about this place."
The waitress nodded and gave them all a hearty smile. "You heard right. Everybody who knows goes to Melrose," she recited loyally. "That's our motto here. Take a look at the menu, and I'll be back to see how you're doing in a couple of minutes."
When she walked away, Seth leaned over to Maggie. "Can you read it to me, Aggie?"
"What do you mean? You can read it yourself," Maggie responded in a happy voice.
Seth opened the menu and began looking through it. When the waitress came back to take their orders, Seth was last. "What can I get cha, hon?" she asked Seth.
He opened the menu and pointed to a picture of a Belgian waffle with home fries and bacon.
"Can I have everything in this picture?" Seth asked.
"You sure can. Good choice, little man." She rushed off to put in their order.
Maggie and Juju exchanged concerned glances. Maggie leaned into Seth. "What's going on? How come you pointed to the picture?"
Seth's eyes instantly turned red as his tears began to spill over. "'Cause I can't read," he stated sadly and pressed his chin into his chest.
When Maggie put her arm around him and pulled him into her, Seth began to cry openly. "Thelma wouldn't let me do any homework. She wouldn't help me. Said I was a stupid idiot. I-I-I just don't know how to do it," he stuttered.
"Don't your teachers notice?" Juju asked.
"They don't care either. They say just as long as I'm being good and actin' like a human bein'," he said, repeating the words his teachers had impressed on him over the years, "then I can stay outta trouble."
Maggie gently lifted Seth's chin with her hand. "No one knows you like I do. You're a smart boy, and when you grow up, you can be anything you want to be. You don't have to be upset. I'm going to teach you how to read. Trust me."
Seth put his arms around Maggie's waist and held onto her while he sobbed, and his tension melted away. He hated being the stupid kid in class. He wanted to be like everyone else. He pulled away from Maggie and looked up at her. "When will you teach me?"
"We'll start today," Maggie promised.
Chapter Ninety.
Maggie and Juju took Seth straight from the Melrose Diner to the library in Kensington. As they walked up the steps, Maggie heard children laughing and yelling. She peered in the direction of the high-pitched voices, and her eyes fell upon a small group of young boys. They were pointing and laughing. She heard one of the voices above the crowd. "Seth, what cha goin' in there for? You probably don't even know what a library is. You're too stupid to read."
The group of boys began chanting, "Seth, Seth, you have nasty breath; your mother was too stupid to put you to death. Seth, Seth, you have nasty breath; your mother was too stupid to put you to death."
Juju started to step toward the boys, but Maggie gripped her shoulder. "No, let me," she said.
Maggie bent down to whisper in Seth's ear. "Do those boys go to your school?"
Seth nodded, blood rushing to his face in blotchy circles as his embarrassment mounted. He looked as though he was going to cry again.
"Do they tease you like this all the time?" Maggie asked, feeling the enormity of the burden Seth had been carrying.
"Yeah. Sometimes it's worse. When we're at recess, they chase me around and throw the basketball at me. I told them it hurts when they hit me with the ball, but they won't stop," he confessed.
"I see. I want you to wait here with Juju," Maggie instructed.
"No, Aggie! Please don't say nothin'. They'll be meaner to me," he begged.
"It'll be OK. I just want to talk to them. I'll be right back," she responded.
Maggie walked over to the boys with her head held high and her back perfectly erect.
"Hi, guys. My name is Maggie. I'm Seth's sister. I heard you teasing him. Why are you doing that?" she asked sweetly.
"'Cause he's a stupid idiot. He can't even spell or read or nothin'," one of them reported.
"Yeah, and he always smells like poop, too!" a different boy chimed in, as they pushed each other and laughed. "We think he eats his own poop," the boy continued, impressing his friends with his remarks.
"Well, that's interesting. Let me ask you a question. How would you feel if everyone picked on you for no reason? I mean, Seth is quiet, but he isn't stupid, and he definitely doesn't smell or eat his poop. In fact, I think that anyone who does what you guys are doing to Seth is very mean. How about if you cut him a break?" she said.
The boys noticed the tension in her voice.
"Why don't you all run home to your mommies and tell them what you do to Seth? Hey. Maybe, I'll go tell your parents what you're doing. How about that? Now, I think that's a great idea," Maggie said, tapping her chin with her index finger.
The boys grew nervous. "Let's go, guys," one of the boys said. He started walking away from the library.
"Oh, boys? I know where all of you live. So unless you want me to go talk to your parents, you will stop picking on Seth. Understand?" Maggie asked. "Stop being so nasty!" she added in a powerful voice.
Maggie made all of them a little worried. None of them answered her. They walked away whispering to each other, and Maggie knew she had only gotten Seth a temporary reprieve from his tormentors.
"What did they say, Aggie?" Seth asked when she returned.
"Not much. But I'm hoping they'll leave you alone for a while," she said.
Seth ran his hand through his golden-blond hair, "Probably not. They like pickin' on me. When I grow up, I'm gonna be strong with big muscles and kick the shit out of all of them."
"Shit, huh? Where did you learn that?" Maggie asked with a smile.
"Juju."
Maggie turned to her friend. "Oh, great. So Juju is teaching you how to curse. Way to go, Juju!" she said, giggling.
Maggie turned back to Seth. "You know...when I was your age, the kids at school picked on me too," she confessed. "I was always left out of everything. On the day that John William took me, I had talked my mom into letting me go buy a slice of pizza on my own at the food court. I wanted to show the girls who left me out that I was independent. Trying to get even with them cost me my family," she finished sadly.
Seth's eyes bulged from their sockets. Maggie realized that she'd scared him without intending to.
"I have an idea. How about if Juju teaches you how to kickbox?" Maggie said with excitement.
Juju lit up. "Yeah, dude. I can teach you how to protect yourself from those little creeps."
"Really? I'm gonna learn to read and fight? Yay!" Seth announced, bouncing up and down. "I love you, Aggie."
"Really, dude? What about me? Where's my love?" Juju teased and started to tickle him.
Seth was giggling so hard that he was gasping for air when Juju finally stopped. Maggie watched them, her feelings of love running deeper for the two people whom she considered her only family. She extended her hand to Seth, he grabbed it, and she led him into the library.
Learning, she knew, was the only way to break the cycle. This was the one gift she could give to Seth that no one would ever be able to take away from him. She was reminded of her own parents and the gift of learning they'd given her.
For just a few minutes, she allowed herself to think about Lorraine and Rob Clarke. She wondered if they still missed her. So much time had passed that her memories of them had become foggy, almost surreal. She still missed her parents-their good natures and loving ways. Her life was so different now, and she was so far removed from the world she'd once known. Her dreams of being reunited with them, once so strong and vivid, had diminished. Now it seemed as though those dreams had belonged to another person.
Chapter Ninety-One.
Maggie had two weeks before she began working at Double Visions. In the meantime, she spent her days and evenings meeting men at the "apartment." The hours between four and seven o'clock in the evening were quiet, and she spent much of that time with Seth at the library. Just as she thought, Seth was a smart boy who only needed someone to teach him. In a few short weeks, he'd already shown his capacity to learn new things.
"Aggie, do you remember what your mom and dad look like?" Seth asked her one day.
"Sort of. I mean, I do remember, but it was a long time ago. Why?" she asked.
"'Cause I can't remember my mom and dad at all. Do you think they loved me?" he asked.
"Are you kidding? Who wouldn't love you?" Maggie grew serious. "I'm certain they loved you, and they still love you."
"Then hows come they never look for me?" he wondered aloud.
"We don't know they haven't looked for you. In fact, I'm sure they did. But you were too little when John William stole you from them. You don't remember where you lived. A while ago, I looked to see if I could figure out where your parents live. But I couldn't find them anywhere around here," she told him.
"Maybe they moved," Seth offered.
"You might be right. But maybe you weren't born around here. We don't know what your last name is, and that makes it really hard to find them," Maggie said softly, pulling him closer to her.
"Do you think if we ever find them, they'll want me to go back and live with them?" he asked.