Page 48 of The Fight for Forever
“This is Bump. You three have something in common, Omar.”
Omar looks to the other kid beside him and then zeroes in on the strip of hair missing from the side of Bump’s head. “He take a bullet to the head too? Fuck him up like us?”
Bump’s head bobbles. “That happened to you too? Dude ... I’m so sorry. It was the worst thing ever, but I’m okay now. You look like you’re mostly okay too.”
Omar looks down at the chair. “I’m learning to walk again. Ashton ain’t so lucky, but it don’t matter. When I walk again, I’ll take him everywhere with me. We’re brothers from another mother.”
Bump squats down to their level. “I bet you still kick my ass at ring toss. I’m shitty at this game.”
Ashton finally pipes up. “Then come on. Let’s put some money on it.”
“Boys ...” Meryl’s tone comes with a warning note. “No gambling. Remember?”
Omar and Ashton trade shit-eating grins before looking back at her and saying in singsong unison, “Yes, Mrs. Fosse.”
Meryl smiles at the three of them. “I’ll let you boys get acquainted.” She turns to me and Gabriel as Bump hands over more tickets to the person in charge in exchange for his rings.
In a low voice, she whispers in my ear. “Thank you for coming. It really means a lot to me. Omar and Ashton both have been through so much, and it’s hard for them to relate to people who don’t understand what they’ve experienced. When I saw Bump, I just had a feeling I couldn’t shake. If he’s not interested in coming back, I won’t push. But if he is, we’d welcome him with open arms.”
That’s something for Bump and Gabe to discuss, but I’m not too worried. “We’ll let you know, but I think he’s already decided he loves it here.” I turn to see the three boys flinging rings and cheering when the others miss and they don’t.
Meryl nods. “I hope so. Make sure you check out the park across the street too and get some food. It’s all terrible for you, but it’s delicious.”
“We will. Thanks, Meryl.”
As she walks away, Gabriel leans in. “What did she say?”
“She sees Bump, and she values him.”
Gabriel turns to look at her back. “She seems like good people.”
“I think she is.”
Then Gabriel goes still.
“What?”
When he scans the crowd again, Hal and I whip around to do the same.
“Who did you see?” I ask. “Moses?”
I catch sight of a light-skinned black man walking through the crowd, but his eyes are all wrong to be Moses, and Gabriel relaxes.
“No. Not Moses. Not today, and hopefully never fucking again.”
Twenty-Seven
Legend
After Bump finishes playingring toss with Ashton and Omar, I’m ready to get the hell out of the packed gym. I’m on edge in the crowd, but having Scarlett and Bump within reach and Hal keeping watch along with me helps a hell of a lot.
Karas and the mob are taking care of Moses, I remind myself, but the uneasiness won’t quit creeping up the back of my neck as we head to the park across the street. It’s busy, with over a dozen food trailers offering all your typical carnival fare, but not as crowded as it was inside.
Hal walks with us, not far from Bump, who is carrying a massive inflatable guitar he won during the last game of ring toss, and I force myself to relax and enjoy the day instead of looking for trouble. One thing I’ve learned the hard way—every time I look for trouble, I find more than enough.
We walk toward a trailer with a karaoke setup, and a kid who can’t be more than thirteen is belting out AC/DC’s “You Shook Me All Night Long” like he’d written it himself.
As soon as Bump hears the song, he stops, and a look of pure excitement takes over his features. “It’s my song!” he yells, then breaks away from our group with his inflatable guitar.
