Hector.
âSmile better.â
Hinton smiled better.
âDonât let me see your back teeth when you smile, son.â
Hinton modified his smile.
They waited for about fifteen minutes; when the prowl car came and passed, Hinton was the first to go. Hector was still testing him and he knew that he couldnât show any signs of chicken or resentment; what if they were to leave him here? He went through it cool, taking great care to look unconcerned. The fence was easy; how many fences had he climbed, some of them as high as twenty feet? He stood balanced on about four inches of concrete ledge; he could almost feel the fence pushing outward on him. It seemed too far to jump, even though it was only about twelve feet high. So he didnât look, knowing when you were scared it was best to think of the thing you are going to do after. Balanced on the ledge, he looked up and down the long street till there were no cars. He turned toward the cemetery; the boys were hidden. He panicked for a second and thought they had run away, but he knew better. He lowered himself till he was hanging and let go. The drop knocked the wind out of him and he almost fell to his knees. He split the back of his right shoe, but it held together by the strip of binding leather at the top. He turned and ran across the street, skipping to keep from losing it. His thighs still ached from the long run. He ran into the shadows of sidewalk trees. Behind the trees, down a small hill, there was a big water tank casting big black shadows; beyond, at the bottom of the dip, next to the little river, he saw the rails.
Hinton turned back. He could see Lunkface posing on the wall, his back to the fence. Hinton stepped out of the shadows and waved. Lunkface didnât bother to lower himself. He grinned and jumped down and showboated across the street. They came one by one. The Junior was last; he jumped just before the signal because he was scared. They laughed. He landed and fell forward on his palms, scraping them; the comic book popped outof his pocket. The jar also broke his watch. He began to run across the street but they all pointed at the comic book and shouted. He turned, saw it, hesitated in the middle of the street . . . and
had
to go back and get it. They began to point up to the cemetery and yell that the ghosts were coming, laughing at his terrified run, till Hector quieted them.
They started walking north, toward the little bridge, trying to keep in shadows. It was further away than they thought and they walked for a long time till they came to the corner and turned right. Walking, the shoe didnât bother Hinton so much. They were on East 233rd Street; The Junior said that it was a long way from home. Hinton had once lived on 221st Street, but he couldnât remember if it had been in the Bronx, Manhattan, or Queens. He had lived all over.
Bimbo wanted to know if they shouldnât go on, one by one. Hector said they moved together. After all, if the police stopped themâwell, they werenât doing anything, were they? But Hinton knew first thing Law would inspect their J.D. cards and how could they explain what they were doing so far from home? It was a little hotter down hereâno wind cooled it like up in the cemetery. When they crossed the bridge, the strip of park and highway, and went up the hill, they came to two-story houses and the apartment buildings. A few blocks more and they were under the elevated tracks. The street was empty; all the stores were closed. There was a phone booth next to a shut-down newsstand on the corner. Hector said he was going in and call up Wallie, the Youth Board Worker.
Bimbo asked, âIs it smart, man? I mean, after tonight, theyâre not going to go along with us. I mean, man, this was the big one. Too much, and now they know they have something to be worried about.â
Lunkface was against calling up too: âWhat do we need him for?â
But Hinton thought that
âSmile better.â
Hinton smiled better.
âDonât let me see your back teeth when you smile, son.â
Hinton modified his smile.
They waited for about fifteen minutes; when the prowl car came and passed, Hinton was the first to go. Hector was still testing him and he knew that he couldnât show any signs of chicken or resentment; what if they were to leave him here? He went through it cool, taking great care to look unconcerned. The fence was easy; how many fences had he climbed, some of them as high as twenty feet? He stood balanced on about four inches of concrete ledge; he could almost feel the fence pushing outward on him. It seemed too far to jump, even though it was only about twelve feet high. So he didnât look, knowing when you were scared it was best to think of the thing you are going to do after. Balanced on the ledge, he looked up and down the long street till there were no cars. He turned toward the cemetery; the boys were hidden. He panicked for a second and thought they had run away, but he knew better. He lowered himself till he was hanging and let go. The drop knocked the wind out of him and he almost fell to his knees. He split the back of his right shoe, but it held together by the strip of binding leather at the top. He turned and ran across the street, skipping to keep from losing it. His thighs still ached from the long run. He ran into the shadows of sidewalk trees. Behind the trees, down a small hill, there was a big water tank casting big black shadows; beyond, at the bottom of the dip, next to the little river, he saw the rails.
Hinton turned back. He could see Lunkface posing on the wall, his back to the fence. Hinton stepped out of the shadows and waved. Lunkface didnât bother to lower himself. He grinned and jumped down and showboated across the street. They came one by one. The Junior was last; he jumped just before the signal because he was scared. They laughed. He landed and fell forward on his palms, scraping them; the comic book popped outof his pocket. The jar also broke his watch. He began to run across the street but they all pointed at the comic book and shouted. He turned, saw it, hesitated in the middle of the street . . . and
had
to go back and get it. They began to point up to the cemetery and yell that the ghosts were coming, laughing at his terrified run, till Hector quieted them.
They started walking north, toward the little bridge, trying to keep in shadows. It was further away than they thought and they walked for a long time till they came to the corner and turned right. Walking, the shoe didnât bother Hinton so much. They were on East 233rd Street; The Junior said that it was a long way from home. Hinton had once lived on 221st Street, but he couldnât remember if it had been in the Bronx, Manhattan, or Queens. He had lived all over.
Bimbo wanted to know if they shouldnât go on, one by one. Hector said they moved together. After all, if the police stopped themâwell, they werenât doing anything, were they? But Hinton knew first thing Law would inspect their J.D. cards and how could they explain what they were doing so far from home? It was a little hotter down hereâno wind cooled it like up in the cemetery. When they crossed the bridge, the strip of park and highway, and went up the hill, they came to two-story houses and the apartment buildings. A few blocks more and they were under the elevated tracks. The street was empty; all the stores were closed. There was a phone booth next to a shut-down newsstand on the corner. Hector said he was going in and call up Wallie, the Youth Board Worker.
Bimbo asked, âIs it smart, man? I mean, after tonight, theyâre not going to go along with us. I mean, man, this was the big one. Too much, and now they know they have something to be worried about.â
Lunkface was against calling up too: âWhat do we need him for?â
But Hinton thought that
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