Awake and Dreaming - Kit Pearson [10]
At last she was allowed to have a break. She and Rae huddled on the blanket and took turns sipping tea out of the Thermos Rae had brought. They kept the music on and a few people still dropped coins in the box. “Look sad,” whispered Rae. That was easier than trying to smile.
THEY KEPT AT IT for three hours. More and more people filled up the sidewalks and the air became warmer. Vendors set up jewellery stands which sparkled in the sun. A few other panhandlers appeared. One played a violin so well that Theo wished they could shut off their tinny music and just listen. A tattered man sat bleakly a few yards away, hardly looking up when someone dropped money in his hat. Buses screeched and steamed up and down the street and couriers on fast bikes zoomed by.
The pile of change in the box was growing. They were having such a lucky day that Rae wouldn’t let Theo rest much. The soles of her feet stung and she felt dizzy.
“How dare you!” A tall, sleek woman in a navy blue suit was standing in front of them. Theo stopped dancing. The woman was glaring at Rae.
“How can you exploit your own child like that? Can’t you see she’s exhausted? You people make me sick. Why don’t you get a job?”
Rae jumped up and hurled such a strong volley of swear words at the woman that she backed up. She turned and walked quickly away.
“What nerve!” Rae was clenching her fists and breathing hard. “It’s none of her business! You’re my child, not hers!”
She looked at Theo and her expression became even angrier. “Sit down! Why didn’t you tell me you were tired?” Theo collapsed on the blanket and her mother switched off the tape recorder. “I can’t stand this stupid music any longer!”
She leaned against the door and closed her eyes. Cautiously, Theo moved back and joined her.
The violinist had moved on. Pigeons strutted up and down the sidewalk. Theo could smell hot oil from the restaurant. Her stomach gurgled and she wondered what they were going to do for lunch. But Rae kept perfectly still with her eyes closed. Was she still angry? Was she asleep? Then Theo noticed that tears were sliding out from her lowered lids.
“Rae? Are you all right?”
Rae opened her eyes, flicked the tears away and lit a cigarette. “Oh, Kitten … what kind of life is this?” Her voice was broken. “Look at us! Two beggars …”
“We made a lot of money,” ventured Theo.
“It won’t last long. I’m so sick and tired of struggling for money all the time. I don’t know how—”
“Rae!” Two women and a man stood in front of them.
Rae looked up. Her bleak expression turned to delight. “Cal! And Myrna and Cindy!”
The three sat down on the blanket and they all started talking to Rae at once. “Where have you been all this time? How’s it going?”
Finally they noticed Theo. “Do you remember us?” said the woman called Cindy. “We all used to share a house. You were the house baby! You were such a quiet little thing—we barely knew you were there.”
Theo shook her head. “I don’t remember.”
“How old are you now?” asked Myrna. “Six?”
“Nine,” muttered Theo.
“You’re awfully skinny—you probably don’t get enough to eat,” said the woman sadly. “I had to give up my little girl, because I couldn’t afford to feed her. She’s in foster care now. But I’m getting her back one day.” Her eyes filled with tears.
“So this is your kid,” said Cal. “Hi, there!” He had a handsome face and a wide smile, but his breath reeked of liquor. Theo turned her head. At least Rae didn’t drink—she said it made her feel sick.
Theo watched her mother laugh with her friends. The fresh air had turned her cheeks pink and her hair glistened like a golden cloud. Rae would have made a good model or movie star. Perhaps she could have been one—if she hadn’t had a baby when she was sixteen.
The friends wandered off. “I’ll come and see you at work,” the man called.
Rae watched them until they went around the corner. Then she picked up the box of money and counted it. “Twenty-seven dollars! That’s because of that first woman. Want to have a hamburger,