Page 26 of Neverland

“Let me go!” I yelled to the man who had no right in man-handling me.

His cologne was heady, his mouth grazing my ear. “I’m a thief, too,” he said. “I like to take what’s not mine simply for the thrill of it. I’m just smart enough not to get caught.”

“I’m sorry,” and I was, a single tear sliding from the corner of my eye and over the bridge of my nose.

“Don’t be. I never am.” Mr. Salvatore released his hold and while I righted myself, he retrieved the two loaves of bread handing them over.

“Here.” Mr. Salvatore reached into his pocket for the envelope Hopkins had given him back in the store. He pulled free some green bills and held them out. “Two hundred. Take it.”

I shook my head. “I can’t take your money, sir.”

“Sure, you can.” When I refused, he stepped closer, pulled my shirt to the side and stuck the rolled-up bills under my bra strap, his knuckles grazing my bare skin. “We can make this our little secret.”

~~~

“What do you have to say to Mr. Hopkins, miho?”

Mrs. Sanchez stood with her arms crossed firmly over her chest, cheeks reddened with embarrassment. Mr. Sanchez seemed more annoyed that Mr. Hopkins stood in their entry demanding something of them.

“He was trying to rip me off, to rip us off,” Romeo explained. “He charged me more than twice what he did Lucy, and…” Romeo turned his anger toward the shop owner, “… we all know why. So why don’t you tell my parents why you’ve been ripping us off?”

“Are you going to let your son talk to an elder like that? Is that how you’ve raised him?”

Mrs. Sanchez didn’t waver. “Of course not, and if you have a punishment fitting for him, then—”

“Wait,” Mr. Sanchez interjected, and quite frankly gave us all a fright. His hardened stare was directed at one person and it wasn’t his son. “Why are you ripping us off?”

“Your son is lying,” Hopkins snapped.

“My son doesn’t lie!”

“Well, he is in this situation. Maybe you should have taught him morals and respect.”

Mrs. Sanchez bit her bottom lip. Having her parenting skills brought into question and her son labeled a liar, seemed to trigger her temper. She faced Hopkins square on. “You just wait one moment. My son doesn’t lie and how dare you come into my home telling me I should have raised him better. And who are you to lecture about morals? If you did, indeed, charge my son more than you’re charging others for the same items, then you, Mr. Hopkins, are the one who should be looking at one’s morals.”

Mr. Hopkins continued to demonstrate the extent of his bigotry. “If you’re unhappy with the service then please, find somewhere else to shop. I don’t need your type loitering around my business.”

“Loitering?” I snapped, indignant of his behavior. All eyes fell on me. “You can’t treat people like that, Mr. Hopkins. You know the Sanchezes are good people. What you did and how you’re behaving is disgraceful.”

All bets were off as he fired his insults at me, any hint of care he once had, now gone. Gone because I was siding with his opposition. “I don’t need to take advice from a street rat,” he responded spitefully. “In fact, Lucy, I’m appalled you’re a part of all this. I expected so much better from you but given who your folks are, I shouldn’t be surprised by your behavior. Your parents can’t even afford to pay a bill from two months ago, so thieving isn’t really below you, is it?”

My cheeks flushed with humiliation. The worst part of growing up as poor as I did, was that it was so blatantly obvious to everyone how little money we actually had. “Your place is next on my list,” he warned. “I can just imagine how upset your father is going to be. If he’s sober, that is.”

Mrs. Sanchez moved in front of me, an act of motherly protection I’d never seen from my own. “You won’t say anything to Mr. and Mrs. Sommers. You know that won’t end well for Lucy. Do you really want that on your conscience?”

And that was the other thing. Not only did everyone see my family as living below the poverty line, but they also saw the shocking level of abuse. Even Mr. Hopkins whose heart had since turned to stone.

“She should have thought of that before she stole from me.”

“It was called for,” I said in an attempt to show I wasn’t scared of him. I wasn’t scared, and being a Libra and just a good human, I felt a great sense of injustice toward how he was treating the Sanchezes. “I’m disappointed in you, Mr. Hopkins.”

He had the exact reaction I was hoping for. Nobody likes being told they’re disappointing. Not even adults. He recoiled like I’d slapped him and for a moment he fumbled for words.

“It turns out Lucy doesn’t need our protection from you,” Mrs. Sanchez began. “She’s faced worst monsters than you, but, I implore you to not go anywhere near the Sommers’ house. Not unless you want this young girl to be covered in bruises the next day. Put your hate for us aside and show some empathy to her situation.”

Mr. Hopkins folded his arms and considered me carefully. “Fine,” he finally conceded. “You got guts, kid. How about we kill two birds with one stone. I don’t tell your father about what happened this afternoon, but you come to work for me. First week will be working for free as an apology and everything else after will be paid. I’m sure you could do with a little extra in your pocket.”

“You’re offering me a job?” I couldn’t quite believe the turnaround in attitude.

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