I don't talk. I did once. Now I don't talk. Talking takes up time. It gets you hurt. Talking got me hurt once. So now I don't talk.
"Max you should get moving, The cops aren't going to let a ten year old wander the streets". Eleven. I'm eleven. "You better start walking towards ridge park they usually start looking for us on 106th street, then come down here." Us. Us means the scum of the streets. The drunks, druggies, and crazies. "
"Get going kid." The guy said. I didn't know his name. I don't bother with names. I will never speak the names so I don't learn the names. I nod to him and start walking away.
I like downtown. I can blend in downtown. There's to many people for the cops to notice me. To many babies crying, people chattering to each other or on the phone or just talking for the sake of talking. Wasting words. I don't waste words because I don't talk.
I stop at the newsstand on the way to the park, the one with the purple umbrella poking out of a whole in the roof. The guy there likes me so usually this is where I get my food. "Well if it isn't my little charity case." He's drunk.
"If you're looking for food, you can get lost." I couldn't move. See, when you don't talk you notice more. Every day he would call his wife, every day he would smile when talking to her. Then over time the smile went away. It's gone and he can't get it back. So he's drinking.
"Did you not hear me you little shit?" I just stood there, staring at him. "GET OUT!" he said in a time that made me quickly walk away. I don't need the attention.
I get to the park eventually. I sit in a bench and reach into my pocket, taking out a candy bar that snapped in two. I don't like to steal, but I need to. A crowd of boys, a few years older than me start to walk over. Drugs or booze, always one of those in this town.
"Hey you!" One of the boys slurred at me. "You gonna share that." Another one said wobbling towards me, pointing to my candy bar. They're weak. They have no power anywhere else so they take it from people under them.
"You gonna answer you little bitch?" The first one said, walking over to my bench and pushing my shoulders. Just walk away. Walk away before they find out. "Oh I get it, he's a mute, you not gonna answer, you just gonna ignore us?" Just get up and walk away. "Maybe we should teach him a lesson." I felt my cheeks flush and my muscles tense up.
They're going to try to punch up high, I need to punch low. I'm good with figuring out how people will hurt you, I've been hurt a lot. The boys went to punch my face. I ducked and rolled between their legs, punching the first boy in the stomach.
"You're...Fucking...Dead." The boy fumed as he struggled to stand up. Just enough time to run away.
After I go to the park I always go to the train station. It's a long walk. I like to walk, even in the winter. I don't mind the cold, there are worse things.
"Going somewhere." A voice said behind me. I turned on my heel and was met with the grubby face of a police officer. "Shouldn't you be in school?" Don't meet his eyes. Eye contact gives them the advantage.
"Show some respect young man!" The officer spat in my face, grabbing my chin so I was forced to look into his beady eyes. If looking away doesn't work, stand your ground.
I stared him down with the same force he was giving me. After what seemed like hours the officer snorted and grabbed me by the arm.
"If you're not gonna talk then we'll be talking a trip downtown. He shoved me forward. I walked up to the cop car and my blood turned to ice.
I don't like cars. Any cars. I will never go into another car again. Ever.
I pretended to bend down to tie my shoelaces, palming a flat stone in my fist.
Lights about to change. He's not going to chase me by foot. I threw the rock directly at his eye, and didn't hang around for him to recover.
Don't look back.
"Get back here you piece of shit!" I heard him yell in fury. But I was already long gone. There would be posters up within a day. People looking for me.
Don't look back.
I ran across the park in what seemed like a few seconds.
Don't look back.
By night I was at the train station. I kept my head down and used all the money I had saved up to pay. I got on the train.
Don't look back.
"There will be two stops on this train in Indianapolis, Kansas City, Las Vegas, and finally, Los Angeles. The train will not be at its first stop for 14 hours so get comfortable." The loudspeaker on the train blared as the train pushed forward.
I laid my head up against the window and look at the tiny black dot of the train station in the distant. I pulled my head away before I got attached to it, addicted to the little bit of stability I had there.
Never look back.
Leave comments below please!!!
