When We Left For.....

My journey home was swift.  The pounding rain meant the streets were clear and the city was quiet.  As my feet lead, my mind began to ponder options.  We needed money.  Fast.  There were a few favors I could call in but was hesitant to do so.  I had worked long and hard to get my head above water.  To throw it all away and be back at zero?  The thought brought an ache to my hart.  I rounded the corner onto Rubin Street and ducked into the alley behind The Heated Stone.  If not a favor, then we could hire out.  I grimaced at the thought and mounted the stairs two at a time up to our rooms.   I hated working for someone else.  Being your own boss, that the only way to go in my mind.  My rules, my way.  I hadn't taken orders in over two years and the idea of having to cowtow to some fat bossman made me hit the door hard as I entered our apartment.

Umberto shot out of his chair when he heard me come in.  He stood there, all six feet three inches of him, shifting from foot to foot, rubbing his hands together, his face drawn in anguish.

"Where you been Raz?" he asked, his big hands reaching toward me in supplication.  I batted them away and pushed past him into the kitchen.

"Thinking Berto.  Something you know nothing about."  I banged about, setting the pot onto the stove and lighting the gas burner.  Once the flame took, I turned to face my half-brother.  Umberto was back to his rocking and hand wringing.  I felt some of my anger seep away.  It wasn't really his fault.  It was an accident.  Berto was famous for his "accidents".  Blaming him didn't get us anywhere.  It never did.  We needed a plan and that was my specialty.  Umberto must have seen something on my face because he stopped rocking and offered me a timid smile.

"You aren't still mad at me?  Are you Raz?  'Cause I'm really really sorry.  I just thought it was a box, you know?  If I had know about the money I'd of never thrown it out.  Promise Raz!  I dinnit mean nothin' by it, you know?" he stammered.

Berto had our mother's eyes: large, soft and brown.  My own were blue.  They have been called shifty, squity, and calculating.  Doe-like, they are not.  Guess I take after my dad in that area, whoever he was. We both shared our mom's brown curly hair with a steak of white right above the left ear.  That white streak was how we had found each other.  And although Umberto caused me no end of trouble, he was family.  All the family I had.  With a sigh,, I crossed over to him and patted his forearm.

"It's ok Berto, it's ok.  I know it was an accident and I'm not mad.  Not anymore, at least.  But you understand that we are in trouble now, right?  Marco will want his usual payment next week and we don't have the funds to set us right with him now.  And that's bad Umberto.  Got it?

Berto nodded his head eagerly and smiled down at me.  The kettle started to whistle so I headed back into the kitchen, talking over my shoulder.

"We have to make some cash, and fast.  The way I see it, we can call in our favors and hope we can squeeze out enough to make it for this month or we need to take a risk."  I poured hot water into my battered cup and dropped in a strainer of tea before I continued.  "We could hire ourselves out but that would take too long and I don't want to go back to that.  Not unless we have to.  So that leave, what?" I mused.

I turned back to Umberto whose brow was creased in deep concentration.  Just seeing him trying to puzzle this out made me smile.  The tip of his tongue stuck between his lips and his shoulders were hunched up almost to his ears.  I was tempted to leave him like that all night but we didn't have time.

"Jules," I stated.

Umberto's eyebrows shot up and his Adam's apple bobbed up and down as he quickly swallowed twice.  Then again.

"Sorry my brother, but it's the only hope we've got," I said as I grabbed my mug and took a sip.

"But, Raz," Umberto whinned, "I don't like Jules.  She makes me....." He shuddered and frowned.

"Uncomfortable?" I offered.

"Yeah, uncomforted," Umberto replied.  "Do we gotta?"

Yes, Berto, we gotta,"  I said and dumped the rest of my drink in the sink.  I grabbed my coat and headed for the door.  Umberto followed me slowly, his feet dragging reluctantly.  When we left for Jules' that night, I had no idea what lay before us.  If I did, I would have found another way, no matter how distasteful, to make our payment.  But hindsight, as they say, is clear.  That night, as we stepped into the light of the moons, we were blind to the fate that lay before us.