by Mary Wingfield Bell
Chapter One -
"Winkley Alexander, you come right back here and close that
screen door!" Aunt Gracie shouted to her nephew as he was running
to get on his bicycle.
Fire ants! I'm late now," grumbled Wink. Wink was the name all
his friends called him. He closed the door with the baseball bat
he had in his right hand and hurried to the bike parked in the
driveway.
He rode in the direction of his friend's house. Jeff was
waiting on the porch, but came out to get on his bicycle. He had a
catcher's mitt with him. The two boys went to find the rest of the
gang.
Soon the whole gang was riding west of town to a baseball
field where they often played their game. Moon and knuckles were
members of the gang. Moon's real name was Milton. Knuckles' real
name was Kenneth. Sherman was a big boy for his age of twelve and
all the guys called him Big Squirt. The best player in the group
was black Willie. Alfredo was a newcomer. He had only been around
three weeks. His family mostly spoke Spanish. He acquired the
nickname, Little Cube, because he was very short.
When the lads arrived at the baseball field, there was already
a game going. The Little Leaguers were on the field in full
uniforms.
"Dang it! The Hot Tots are playing again," Wink said. Hot Tots
was Wink's name for the uniformed players.
"Yeah, those stinking Snobs." Knuckles said. "They always got
to be here when we want to play, Look at the Mamas and the
Daddies. They come out to root for the little softees," Knuckles
was disappointed, too.
"Ah, ham! We might as well watch," Jeff suggested.
"Come on! There's plenty of seats,," Willie said as he headed
for the bleachers.
Everyone followed Willie as he climbed to the last row. Little
Cube fell over his own feet. He was wearing his big sister's
sneakers and his feet were having problems. Big Squirt jerked him
up quickly and soon the whole gang sat above everyone else to
watch the ball game.
"Hey! Look at the score; those dudes ain't going nowhere,"
said Willie.
The home team's score was 1 and the visiting team had 9 runs.
The people in the bleachers yelled. They shouted just about
everything, trying to cheer the youngsters on.
"Look who's up to bat!" Knuckles grinned. "It's little Mr.
Mayor himself." Then he yelled out, "Wham it, Lester!"
Lester swung hard. The strength of his whole body was behind
that bat. Thump!! He hit the ball! The ball went up high and
higher and down into the hands of the enemy. He did not even get
to first base. Lester stamped his feet and ran to the dugout.
Melvin Banner, the Methodist preacher's son, followed Lester.
He smiled when he picked up the bat and spit in the dirt for good
luck. It didn't do him any good as he missed the ball on the first
two strikes. Then there was a whack! Up, up went the baseball
again and was caught by an outfielder. Melvin hit his left hand
real hard with his right fist. What a disgusting game!
"Dullsville! Let's get out of here!" Moon said, already
standing. The others got up in a hurry. They almost ran down the
steps to get away from the bleachers.
"What will we do now?" Wink asked the gang when they had
reached their bikes.
"I want to play ball somewhere," Jeff said.
"Yeah, me too," added Knuckles. "We can beat the lint balls
any old time."
"I know a field way out past Lake Blue Road," suggested Big
Squirt. "It's not as good as the diamond but it'll do for good
practice. "
"Away we go," sang out Willie.
The parade of bikes turned toward town and they were soon on
Main Street headed east. After Main Street they went on Allman
Avenue to Baker Street and then on to Lake Blue Road which went
away out into a rural area.
There were very few houses in this country section and they
were spaced far apart. The homes were nice and large. There was an
open field not far from a beautiful house. The house had many
shapes topped with sharp gables above each part.
"Man oh man! What a pad!" Moon exclaimed in surprise at the
grandeur and size of the place.
"It's Gothic architecture," Wink informed the others.
"What's Gothic?" Little Cube asked.
"Oh, it's that funny style - you know, the high-pointed roofs
and the special trim," Wink replied.
"The lady who lives there works in New York. She is only here
six months of the year. She is probably gone now since it is
summertime. In the winter she comes home to this place," Big
Squirt informed the gang.
"I wonder what she does only six months a year," Moon said.
"Who knows?" replied Big Squirt.
By now the boys were in an open field and the house was
partially hidden by trees and heavy foliage but a fancy, shiny car
could be seen in the curved driveway.
They hid their bicycles in the thicket between them and the
road. No bicycles could be seen from the road.
"We'll take turns watching for the pigs," Wink said. "Little
Cube, you get up in that oak tree. You can see a long way from
there. Let us know if you see a cop's car."
"Do cops come way out here!" asked Willie.
"Yeah, the city line is another half mile out," remarked Big
Squirt. "Funny this is called city."
"Why do the fuzz always find us and ruin our fun?" Knuckles
asked, fretting. "Ain't they ever been kids?"
Little Cube climbed high up in the big oak tree. No one could
see him, not even the rest of the gang. He had a little brass bell
in his pocket. The bell had a loud clapper. This he was going to
ring when he spotted a patrol car.
The boys in the field divided into two teams, each having a
catcher, a pitcher and batter.
Big Squirt, Moon and Knuckles were playing against Jeff, Wink
and Willie. The guys really had fun away from town and other
people. Big Squirt and Wink were pitchers, Willie and Knuckles
played catchers. Jeff and Moon were sluggers.
Little Cube soon grew tired of sitting watch on a limb and
yelled, "Hey, guys, it's my turn to play."
"Willie, will you take Little Cube's place in the tree?" asked
Wink.
"O.K., I'm tired of being catcher anyway."
So Willie and Little Cube changed positions. Willie pulled a
pack of bubble gum from his pocket and proceeded to blow bubbles
while he watched the road for law officers.
Around the curve in the road came a white-and-green car with a
blue light on top.
"Uh-oh!" Willie took the bell out of his pocket and rang it
quickly, loud as he could.
The guys scattered into hiding fast as mice in a kitchen when
a light is turned on. The policeman did not stop his car because
he saw nothing unusual. It was on a quiet countryside.
"All clear!" Willie shouted when the officer was out of
sight.
"Fooled the fuzz, we did," Wink said gleefully.
The boys got back to their game and what a feeling of
togetherness they had, even though they yelled and argued, calling
each other names like Dumbo or Gourd Head. Wink and Big Squirt
were both good pitchers but Wink said, "I am tired of chasing
balls. I'm trading places with the catcher." The boys changed
positions often.
"We need more guys," said Moon.
"Yeah, but who can we get that won't rat on us?" asked
Knuckles.
"I know a couple of tough girls," offered Jeff.
"Girls!" The others were shocked at that word.
"Why not?" asked Jeff. "Rainbow and Daisy can outsteal any of
you fellows and never get caught. I'm tellin' you, they're tough
dolls."
"We'll think about it," chorused the rest of the gang.
"Let's play!" Wink urged. "The sun is dropping. Man it'll be
night soon. "
"I'm ready to go," Willie called from the tree.
"Just two more innings," begged Big Squirt.
Wink was at bat. He swung it back and forth, practicing. Now
he was ready to see that ball travel. Big Squirt pitched and wink
hit the ball. Whack! It went flying into the air like a jet. All
eyes watched the ball go high for a long way and then it came down
on the big house property. Bang! Crash! The breaking of glass was
heard in the field. The gang ran to see what had happened.
"Oh, no! It hit the windshield of that Oldsmobile!" Big Squirt
whispered shakily.
"Let's get out of here quickly," Wink said quite scared. He
had sent that ball away too far. His body became hot, his hands
sweated. When he climbed on his bike, his arms were trembling and
his legs did not want to pedal. Somehow he managed to get his
bicycle on the road and follow the rest who were fast heading for
their homes.
He was still trembling when he heard Aunt Gracie's voice from
the living room. "That you, Wink
"Yeah, it's me, Aunt Gracie.
"There's biscuits and fried chicken on the stove top. My, but
you are late! Wink, where have you been?"
Why does she ask so many questions, thought Wink. "Been
playing ball. I ain't hungry now; I'm too tired," he answered.
Wink went into his bedroom and closed the door. He had a lot of
thinking to do and did not want Aunt Gracie interrupting his
thoughts.
"I guess he'll be in here soon, hungry as a bear," Aunt Gracie
said to herself. She knew he must be starved after being gone so
long and playing so hard. She just kept on watching television.
Wink did not turn on the light in his room but the curtains
were open and the light from the street lamp beamed in. He could
see everything in the room - the dresser chest, the straw-bottomed
chair, badminton rackets and the picture of his parents hanging on
the wall.
Now the picture reminded him of many things. He remembered
being seven years of age and having a mother and father. He
remembered so much fun he had with his father - the hikes they
took together, how they played catch every evening. On Sundays he
went with both of his parents to picnic spots on the
mountainside.
And suddenly the family was changed. An automobile accident
took the life of his father. His mother married again in a very
short while. Wink never liked his step-dad, so he had come to live
with Aunt Gracie. Aunt Gracie was good to him but no one in the
world could take the place of his real father.
Wink realized he wasn't the only kid without a real father.
There was his friend, Jeff, who had lived in four foster homes and
had a lot of rotten breaks. Then there was his friend Willie,
living with his mother, who had never had a father at all. In
Wink's mind he pictured his friends, one at a time, and their
situations.
Little Cube had a mother and father but the family was
extremely poor. His father could not speak English and he worked
in a plant nursery where wages were low. It was all the man could
do to keep his family fed.
Moon had a mom, dad and sister. They all picked on him,
telling him he was no good. His sister wished he would get lost.
Wink's friend Knuckles was one of ten children and was rarely
noticed by anyone in the family. If he stayed away for a night, no
one seemed to miss him.
Last of all Wink thought of Big Squirt who lived with his dad.
His mother had left home when he was three. His daddy was a
gambler and spent much time away from home.
But now Wink's mind wandered back to his own immediate
problem. He just couldn't forget that broken windshield. He could
still hear the breaking of glass. What an awful sound! If only his
mind could just close its door and be rid of the whole thing.
If he went into the living room would Aunt Gracie begin asking
questions or keep her mind on the television? He didn't like the
idea of staying awake and thinking of breaking glass, so he went
into the living room and set in the big chair, pretending to watch
what Aunt Gracie was watching. The talk show did not interest him.
Why did Aunt Gracie want to learn about diets anyway? She was
skinny.
Finally, Aunt Gracie looked toward Wink and said, "Better eat
supper; I'm going to put the food away soon."
Wink dragged himself to the kitchen. Ordinarily he would be
very hungry but tonight his appetite was missing. Those drumsticks
smelled delicious and looked even more so. Aunt Gracie was a swell
cook. He buttered a biscuit and put a drumstick on an aqua-colored
plate.
Sitting at the table, he began to nibble. But little pains in
the middle of his stomach and sounds of breaking glass in his head
were just too much. Quickly he dumped his food into the garbage
can and went back to the living room.
"My, You ate fast," Aunt Gracie said.
"Yeah," Wink answered. He longed to tell Aunt Gracie what
happened that day, but for some reason he kept silent.
"Something bothering you, dear?" Aunt Gracie asked.
"Just tired," was his reply.
"Maybe you had better go to bed."
"Suppose so." And Wink went back to his bedroom. He felt hot
and sticky as he drew the curtains and decided to take a shower.
The force of water felt so good, hitting him in the face and on
his head. Around and around he turned to catch all the finger-like
punches of warm water. The dirt and stickiness were leaving and he
felt fresh and clean.
Oh, if only I could wash away the sound of breaking glass from
my mind, he thought. That must be the little fellow inside of me
called conscience that Aunt Gracie says nags a person when he does
something bad. Only I didn't do anything bad; it just turned out
that way.
Wink dried himself with a big thirsty yellow towel and put on
his pajamas with the blue sailboats on them. The he went into his
bedroom across the hall from the bathroom. The room was still not
very dark. A faint light came in through the curtains. He pulled
back the spread and blanket like Aunt Gracie had shown him so it
would not be a messy bed to make in the morning. His aunt could
then just pull up the covers and straighten his room quickly.
Wink crawled under the sheet. It was too hot for a blanket. He
lay there thinking and fell asleep. Aunt Gracie had turned off the
television. It was quiet in the house but he could hear the
traffic on the highway three blocks away. He liked to hear the
roar of the engines on the big haulers coming through his side of
town.
Now and then he heard the zoom-zoom of a motorcycle. And there
was the horrible wail of the police cars and ambulance sirens.
Tonight he did not want to hear a siren. It might be an officer
coming to find him.
Wink finally fell asleep after counting the roaring sounds of
the eighteen-wheelers.