Pewter Angels (12 page)

“I … I think that’s the car with those guys in it.”

Jenny stared ahead intently and they both held their breath as they neared. Raucous laughter and wild insults peppered the air around the car; its windows were rolled down and they could see several dark figures inside. Henry’s heart thudded against his ribs. Winnipeg Street was not as brightly lit as 11th Avenue had been and wasn’t as busy. Cautiously he took another step forward. Jenny looked at him and he could see she was scared.

“Let’s cross the street, Henry.”

Henry didn’t want her to think he was afraid but he welcomed the suggestion. It had occurred to him too. “Yeah, maybe we should.”

Just as they did, one of the guys stepped out of the car.

Eddy Zeigler.

“Hey, guys,” he knocked on the hood, “look who’s here.”

Henry was taller than Eddy and had been hauling heavy boxes and crates around for the last few days. He could maybe take the short little punk if he had to. There was a scratch and a flare. The end of the cigarette dangling from Eddy’s mouth began to glow, one of his eyes half-shut against the rising smoke. He swaggered towards Henry and Jenny with a smirk. Eddy thought he was so cool, but Henry thought he just looked goofy.

Who does he think he is, Marlon Brando? not a chance.

“Let’s go, Jenny.” He hoped with all his might that his bravado would blow them off. Henry moved forward. Jenny squeezed his hand, sidled closer to him and followed in his shadow. His heart pounded as they inched past Eddy and the car, never turning their backs on them.

One of the guys hollered out the window, “Geez, just leave them alone already. This is a drag.”

“You kidding?” chided another voice. “Let’s have some action.” And with that, the driver got out. He was big. In the flash that was his life’s story, Henry recalled that the brute’s name was John. He had to be a football player.

Henry was in for a pounding.

There was a tug on his hand and a fierce whisper in his ear. “Come on, Henry, let’s cross the street and run. We can still get away.”

Sweat trickled down the back of his neck. They were in the middle of the block and it was getting darker. The immediate future looked just about as dim. Where was that police car now?

“Well, isn’t that romantic,” Eddy taunted.

“Come on, John. I wanna hold the blond’s hand, too!”

The passenger door opened to reveal another guy, this one even bigger than John. Though Henry thought he could handle Eddy, these other two were bad news. He pushed Jenny firmly behind him, blocking her from view.

“Look at the big man protecting his girl,” Eddy jeered. He tightened thin lips around the cigarette, squinting in what he thought was a manly way and took a deep drag, pulling it out of his mouth with menacing thoughtfulness before flipping the stub away. A long trail of smoke spewed from Eddy’s cocky grin.

“Look, Eddy,” Henry tried to reason, “I know you. Just let us go home. We don’t want any trouble.”

“Yeah,” encouraged the guy from the back seat. “Come on, John. Pete. Let’s go. Leave ’em alone. They’re not worth it.”

Well, at least one guy has some sense
. Henry and Jenny were still only an arm’s length away when Eddy suddenly moved, stepping in front of them to block their path. The other two guys followed and closed in behind them.

Blood rushed to Henry’s head; he felt faint, frightened and furious all at once. Eddy made a swipe at Jenny, but she moved out of the way and Henry shifted his stance to keep between her and the little thug. But Big John reached out and easily grabbed Jenny’s arm from the other side.

“Come on, baby,” he cooed, “we just want to have some fun.” He pulled Jenny towards him despite her desperate movements to get away.

Henry lunged for her, but Eddy blocked him again, pushing him back. When Henry tried to reach for Jenny again, Pete, now out of the car, swung at him with a beer bottle. Henry ducked, but it grazed him on the side of the head. He staggered back and fell to the sidewalk, barely able to see the guys surrounding Jenny, making kissing noises and laughing at her protests.

“No, please don’t …!” Jenny pleaded, shaking her head from side to side, trying to dodge John’s and Eddy’s puckered lips.

Henry struggled to stand, shouting, “Leave her alone!”

They just laughed at him.

“Hey, Pederson’s sauced! Look at him staggering around.”

They laughed some more.

Henry could tell Jenny was crying and he felt so weak and helpless.

“Hey, Bud, open the door and move over,” John said to the guy still in the back seat. “Let’s take her to the park.”

They pulled and pushed a struggling Jenny towards the car. At the moment Bud opened the back door, an uncontrollable rage surged through Henry. He ran at them, flinging his arms in all directions. He yelled, a bark of sound that was half fear, half battle cry, as he kicked and swung. His foot connected with someone, as did his swinging fists.

“Geez, the guy’s flipped. Take it easy, Pederson.”

Jenny scurried back as they let go of her, and then two of them charged him, Eddy circling around to grab Henry from behind. The other two surged forward and punched him in the stomach and face.

Jenny screamed and, with a running start, pounded one of the guys on the back. “Let him go, let him go!”

John turned and swung an arm at Jenny, pushing her away. Her screams grew louder.

Bud shouted over her from inside the car. “Guys! I said leave them alone. Come on, let’s
go
!” He jumped out of the car and began pulling one of the guys away from Henry. “Come on, man. He didn’t do anything. Let’s split.”

“No way! He kicked me and I’m gonna give him a knuckle sandwich he’ll never forget.”

Just then a car appeared, slowed and stopped.

“It’s the police. They’re back!” yelled Jenny, wild with relief. “They’re going to arrest all of you!”

The guys looked up.

“That’s no police car,” one of them shouted.

The car honked at them several times.

This time Bud yelled out, “Geez, you morons, either you’re coming or I’m getting the hell out of here. If you want to get into trouble, go ahead.”

A bright light inside Eddy’s glass-enclosed front porch flicked on, and a man emerged from the living room in his undershirt. One suspender hung at his side, leaving the job of holding up his loose trousers to the other. He held a bottle of wine that wavered in his fist as he wobbled over to the porch’s screen door. He put his free hand against the screen, cupping it around his eyes to peer out.

“What’s all the ruckus?” When he recognized Eddy, his expression turned to anger. He stepped back and swung the door open. “Eddy, what the hell’s going on out there? Get in here, now!”

Eddy let go of Henry’s jacket and walked up to the house, turning his back on his father for a moment to mouth obscenities at Henry and make a quick hand gesture. John rounded the car and slid into the driver’s seat. The moment Bud and Pete jumped into the car it sped off.

Behind them, Eddy hollered in pain. Jenny and Henry whirled to see Mr. Zeigler’s fist around Eddy’s ear, yanking him up the steps. Eddy smacked his dad’s hand away and ran to the door, his dad following, bottle raised. Eddy easily dodged the aimless swing and ran into the house. Mr. Zeigler slowly followed and the porch light went out. Unseen voices from within filled the darkness with argument then faded away.

Henry turned and Jenny ran towards him.

“Are you okay, Henry?” she asked, tears staining her cheeks as she fell into his arms. Together they turned to the car that had stopped beside them.

“Do you want a ride home?” the woman in the passenger seat asked.

“No, I—,” he hesitated, “I think we’re okay.”

Jenny nodded, tears glinting in the lamp-light as she dashed them away with a tremulous smile.

“Well, if you’re sure.” The lady kept looking over her shoulder at the two of them as the car pulled away.

Jenny straightened her skirt then looked up into his eyes, “Oh, Henry, I was so frightened. Did they hurt you?”

“Nah, I’m fine, just a little bruised,” he said wearily, ignoring the clench in his gut as he reached up to finger the swelling on his head. “How about you?”

“Just so scared,” Jenny answered, her voice quavering. “Oh, your head is bleeding, and so is your nose!”

Henry wiped his nose with the back of his hand and cleaned the trickle of blood off on his pants. Jenny reached into her pocket and pulled out a tissue, dabbing the blood from his lip and gently patting the side of his head. Holding her close, the two of them started again for home. Although his anger had ebbed, Henry felt the stain of bitterness.
One day I’ll teach that Eddy a lesson
. Jenny trembled in his arms. He hoped it hid the shaking he, too, still felt inside.

By the time they got to Victoria Avenue, a sense of calm had descended. A few more blocks and they would be home.

Jenny’s voice was quiet in the dark. “You were so brave, Henry. The way you hit those guys.”

Henry didn’t know how to answer. Bravery had been the furthest thing from his mind. He couldn’t remember ever being so afraid. Finally he said, “We’re pretty late, Jenny. I hope your parents aren’t too worried or upset.”

“I’m sure they’ll understand when I tell them what happened.” Then, thinking it through, she added quickly, “But maybe they won’t let us out again.”

Henry thought about it. “Yeah, you might be right. Maybe we should just keep it to ourselves for now. I have a good mind to report that Eddy. Oh well. At least you weren’t hurt by all that. Maybe it’s best to leave well enough alone.”

As they passed the drugstore, headlights blinded them.

Then, “Hey, Pederson, you and blondie there want a ride?”

Unbelievable
. Henry really wished they had taken the lady up on her offer of a ride home, but it was too late now.

The boys’ car pulled over to the curb and stopped.

“Come on, John,” Pete slurred, “I’d like to get my hands on that blond.”

The blood drained from Henry’s face and the world swirled around him. Jenny screamed as both John and Pete scrambled out of the car towards them.

“Run, Jenny! Run!”

But Jenny was too scared to move. The boys stood in front of them, their eyes wild and unfocused. John grabbed Jenny’s arm. Henry tried to shove him away, but Pete pushed Henry against the window of the drugstore hard enough to make his head rebound off against the glass and he slid to the ground. It happened so fast, it was all a blur.

“I got her, man. Let’s go.”

Henry’s legs wouldn’t move. Through his daze, he heard Jenny scream as the boys jammed her into the back seat. Henry pushed himself to his feet, reaching unsteadily for the car but catching only air as it sped away. He stumbled into the empty gutter.

Henry heard honking and someone yelling. The couple who had stopped earlier were on the other side of the avenue.

“Do you need help?” the man called.

The words wouldn’t come; his fear for Jenny was too great to speak, but Henry waved his arm frantically, motioning for him to come. The man quickly made a U-turn and lurched to a stop in front of Henry.

“We’re glad we came back to check on you. Where’s your girl-friend?” the lady asked, looking over her shoulder for Jenny. “They’ve got her!” Henry finally gasped out.

“I’ll take you to the police!” said the man.

“No! There isn’t time. I think they’re taking her to the park. Please, please take me there before it’s too late.”

The man looked at his wife. “Maybe he’s right.” The man nodded, a bit hesitant at first, then nodded again more firmly.

“Right,” he said.

Henry got into the back seat and the car skidded away.

“They headed toward Albert Street. They’re probably going to the lake-shore.”

“Are you okay?” asked the woman, her brief glance assessing.

Henry just shook his head, tears stinging his eyes.
Please God, please don’t let them hurt Jenny. Send an angel to protect her.

Henry wished the man would go faster, even though he knew they were already speeding. The traffic lights turned red as they approached the intersection at the entrance to the park. The man brought the car to an untimely stop and Henry cursed the light under his breath. He sat on the edge of his seat, searching the darkness. The thought of not finding Jenny sent a sharp shiver through him. Henry’s head jerked back as the man hit the gas when the light turned green.

They turned into the park area and slowed down.

“They could be anywhere,” the man said. “Maybe we should go to the police.”

“No, no, please just drive down the park lane. Turn left at that corner,” Henry pleaded.

Reluctantly, the man did as Henry directed, and headed for the roadway that hugged the lake-shore. Water shimmered in the moonlight. Frantically, Henry scanned the shadows beneath the trees. The man turned on the high-beams. It seemed to help.