Romeo of the Streets Read Online Free PDF Page B

the higher ground with Romeo at this point but I couldn’t help myself. The experience had shaken me to the core and I still felt almost hysterical after it. Luckily everybody, even Lou, seemed to understand and the worst that followed was an uncomfortable silence. I sighed and began filling them in on what the doctor had told us about Gino’s bills.
    “Hey, it’s fine Sandy,” Lou said, “I can take care of it. No problem.”
    Lisa looked hopefully from him to me, while beside them Romeo’s face had suddenly gone cold.
    “What do you mean?” I asked, “Do you actually realize how much this is going to cost?”
    Lou held up his hand with a self-assuredness that unnerved me, considering the amount of money we were talking about here. (Just what was he into these days, I wondered?)
    “I think we can cover it,” he said, “right Romeo?”
    Romeo merely shrugged, but his eyes seemed piercing as they stared into mine. What, I thought—taking immediate offense at his obvious distaste—are you angry because I think I’m too good to accept your money, your illegally-gained proceeds of crime? Give me a break, I had enough on my plate to be dealing with that self-righteous tough guy crap.
    “No,” I said, firmly and for certain.
    “Sandy…” Lisa began.
    “No,” I said. “Just no. We’ll figure something out when Gino wakes up. Maybe he has some money put aside for emergencies.”
    “And what?” Lou asked, “You want to wipe him out over this! I already told you me and Romeo can cover it.”
    “Gino made his choice when he broke the law about workplace insurance,” I said, “he’ll know what he has to do.”
    “Unbelievable,” Lou muttered but Lisa put her hand on his arm to still him.
    “Leave it Lou,” she said.
    At that moment Romeo straightened up. “Lou, take your sister home. The old man’s going to be out all night and I’ve got things to do,” he turned to go and I called after him, stung and determined to have the last say on the arrogant jerk.
    “Um, excuse me,” I said, “I don’t know who you think you are, but I’m going nowhere. The doctor said Gino would be awake in a few hours and I’ll need to be here when he is.”
    That little wry smile appeared on his lips again as Romeo turned back to face me. “Trust me,” he said, “he’ll be out all night no matter what the doctor said, now let your brother take you home. You want to be there for Gino? Then get a good night’s sleep so you can think clearly when you’re back here to see him wake up in the morning.”
    Despite myself, I knew he was right… so no matter how much I might have wanted to, I couldn’t think of any other way to argue the point.
    Lou placed his hand on my shoulder, “come on Sandy,” he said, “let me take you home.”
    I turned to look back, but Romeo was already gone.
     

 
     

     
     
    At night every street was the same—it didn’t matter if it was New York or Chicago—it all meant the same thing. It all looked the same. Sometimes he felt like the whole world was just one big labyrinth of twisting alleyways and crowded streets, bars and nightclubs and seedy back offices full of thugs and tyrants and killers that he had to do something, somehow , to stop—before they cursed the whole world to the hell they created around them. Yeah, he knew there was beauty out there, there were mountains and forests and nature and love in the world, hell, he’d even seen it, but sometimes… Sometimes that all seemed like just a dream he’d woken up from one foggy twilight morning. And now the twisting streets, bathed in the dim orange light of the streetlamps of midnight, well maybe this was all there really was—the whole unholy universe.
    He shook his head, smiling slightly at himself at how he’d been letting his mind wander. They’d warned him that it would get to him—that it would start to press on his emotional resolve and even affect his thinking—but he hadn’t expected this. He hadn’t