Worlds Apart (22 page)

Mike paused, took a gulp of black coffee, and said, “If you don’t have a plan for your life, then someone else will.”

Christine asked if I wanted to go to Eddie’s store. She said Eddie was getting new merchandise. I said, “Sure, I’ll take a look.”

As I was leaving the café, Christine mentioned that Eddie Lo was picking her up and that I could ride with them. Eddie pulled up on Vesey Street. He and Christine got into a full blown argument in Cantonese. I didn’t have to speak Cantonese to know that they were arguing over my presence in the car. I felt uncomfortable.

Christine paused, smiled, and sarcastically said, “Eddie’s really glad you can join us.” Eddie was about to explode in rage.

I suggested that I could come to his store some other day. Eddie said tomorrow would be fine. We parted ways and I headed to lower Broadway by foot. They drove away in his Oldsmobile Cutlass.

I walked several blocks to the South Street Seaport, in an effort to find Delancey a gift.

It was a fifteen minute walk to the Seaport. The Seaport was converted to a shopping mall, with restaurants, and bars, and sometimes I hung out there with the guys from school. It was hard to imagine that this was once the gateway to America from New York by ship. Dutch and English colonists had used this Pier for trade and for shipping. Now it was a tourist attraction and a mall replacing history.

Shadows covered the streets as the sun was sinking fast. One thing I did not like about the Seaport was how the frigid winds picked up as I got closer, ripping through my hair and stinging my ears.

In the main entrance, I heard alarms going off. Security guards were running around like crazed chickens. My first reaction was that there might be a fire. The security guards were running out the west corridor. I followed them and saw a car outside that I recognized instantly. It was Eddie Lo’s car, and Christine was in the driver’s seat. Eddie Lo jumped into the car after dumping an entire rack of clothing in the backseat. I stood peering from a distance, behind a stone column. The car drove off; I wasn’t sure if Christine or Eddie saw me.

The police soon arrived and the security guards described a robbery by Chinese gangsters. I was a little stunned. I knew Eddie Lo was a gangster, but I didn’t realize he and Christine were common thieves. The coolest guy I knew in school was a common criminal. I had a sick feeling in my stomach. A cop told the manager of the store that the goods were likely to end up in Chinatown stores. I had heard enough, and left the South Street Seaport.

The subway ride home was long and lonely. I did not know what direction to take with Christine or Eddie. I certainly wasn’t going to turn them in but I was in danger of placing loyalty in the wrong place. I thought about the Christmas presents I had bought from Eddie’s store.

The next day I did not go to Eddie Lo’s store. I wasn’t sure if Christine or Eddie had seen me. At the café, I rolled my eyes when Mike said Christine had called out sick with the flu.

On Monday, I heard more of Sam’s sexual escapades with his neighbor’s daughter. At this point, he was just gloating about having a sex life.

Sam received a letter from Harvard acknowledging that his application was under review and indicating there would be an interview. We were all sure Sam would be admitted. He had very high grades, a strong family background in medicine, and the rest he was going to exaggerate, elaborate, and fudge.

I wondered if Harvard could uncover Sam’s true personality in a 20 minute interview. The college application process did not require an emotional or psychological evaluation. There was no section for ethical and moral behavior. Colleges only cared about what was on paper. This worked to Sam’s advantage. I wondered if Harvard had any idea about Sam’s short temper, immaturity, or his ability to fabricate letters of recommendation. Did Harvard even care?

In my mind, and perhaps in my imagination, Harvard was a college for the best of the best, the extra special, and the most elite. It was disappointing that someone like Sam was being considered. I expected better from the best college in the nation.

“How’s it going with Delancey?” asked Sam.

“Fine.”

“Are you going to walk her home today?” he asked.

“No. I’ve got work to do on the school paper.” This wasn’t a topic I wanted to discuss with Sam.

“Listen, David, everyone knows that you two are dating. Word has spread like wildfire. Juan is furious. He is keeping a close eye on you.” Sam tried his best to look genuinely concerned, but his insincerity was obvious.

“I’m not worried about Juan or about you.”

Carlos decided to chime in. “Juan is not someone to joke around with. Everyone says he’s a got a temper and even worse. There are rumors that he orders his enemies to get jumped. You don’t even have a posse.”

“Carlos, I don’t need a posse,” I laughed at the notion.

“Neither does Juan, but you ever see him alone? There are always two or three guys around him. How are you going to fight that many guys?” Carlos looked at me as though he was confused.

“I’m not going to fight anyone.”

In the newspaper office, I asked Doreen if she heard back from any colleges. She said she had been accepted to a few schools, but had not heard from Harvard. I asked if she had received a confirmation letter from Harvard. She had not. This was a little odd. She was going to check with her guidance counselor.

“So I heard a rumor that you and Delancey are going out,” she said. I was astonished that the rumor had reached Doreen. “Just be careful…its no secret that Juan is obsessed with Delancey.”

“Thanks for the heads up,” I said smirking

“I’m serious. I know that Delancey is a great girl, and that she’s really pretty and all. But have you ever wondered why she isn’t at some private school in the city? With her family money and she lives much closer to prep schools… but she goes to school in Brooklyn? Juan has put it out there that only someone looking for death would go out with her.” Doreen crossed her arms, and tilted her head.

“I’m not dating Juan Perez. I am dating Delancey. And what are you trying to say? Maybe she would prefer to go to Stanton.” I kept working, and Doreen came back a few minutes later.

“David, how much do you know about Delancey?” Doreen asked.

“Why? Is there something that you know?” I asked.

“Delancey tends to rebel against her father, just to cope. That’s why she was drunk and high at the ski trip. That’s why she was asked to leave two private schools. Don’t get caught in the middle of their crossfire.”

She had no reason to lie. Doreen went back to working on the paper, and I sat there distracted for the next hour.

When I left school at 5 o’clock, Eddie Lo was outside smiling as he walked up to me. This was the strangest sight, only because Eddie Lo, and Chinese gangsters in general, never smile. He was wearing new clothes, undoubtedly stolen over the weekend.

“Sorry about Saturday, I didn’t know you were coming and had to pick something up,” he said.

“Not a problem. I didn’t want to be a burden. Are you back at Stanton?” I tried to decipher any signals he may give indicating he knew that I witnessed his crime.

“No…still expelled.” There was a moment of awkward silence.

“So are you and Christine…together?” I asked.

“We dated a long time ago, nothing serious…and now we’re just friends. Everyone needs friends, David.” Eddie was wearing sun glasses but was staring at me, trying to read my expression. He needed to find out how much I saw, and how much I knew. It was important that I didn’t give anything away.

“Yeah, things got a little crazy at the ski trip. I appreciate you trying to stop me, but that’s not who I am – I never back down. I’m burnt out from high school, and college was not going to work out for me anyway. I’ve got too many obligations, if you know what I mean. Why don’t you come over to the store today, and I’ll show you the new stuff we just got in over the weekend,” he said with a huge grin. At the park across the street, and the usual Chinese gangsters were watching Eddie and I talk. Gangsters don’t talk to a non-gang member in public. It just wasn’t done. I could feel the weight of his eyes through the sunglasses. He knew I had seen him at the Seaport commit his robbery.

“You know…I really don’t need anymore clothes. I have to save my money for the prom, and college,” I firmly replied.

“No problem, I understand. You’re more than welcome to stop by the store whenever you want…I can always make you a good deal. We can keep it discreet,” Eddie said.

“Discreet.” I nodded. Eddie walked to the gangsters hanging out in the park.

As I approached the subway, I saw Delancey walking into Junior’s Restaurant with Juan Perez. They did not see me. At first, I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me, and then I felt some anger, and some jealousy. But it was definitely Delancey walking in with Juan. I decided not to approach them, but rather I would call Delancey later and ask her about it.

I studied on the subway ride home for my State Spanish test, and planned to study until midnight. I’m not sure why I cared so much about my grades, but I always believed in giving 100%. It’s ingrained in me, probably from watching my father work two jobs my entire life. When I was younger, I thought it was because we really needed the money, but now, that my brother and I had jobs, I wondered if my father worked so much to avoid being home. Did he not want to be reminded of my mother’s death? The last thing I wanted to do was let him down by doing anything halfheartedly.

I called Delancey at nine. She picked up the phone. Much to my relief, I avoided being grilled by her father.

“Hey there, I was wondering if you were going to call,” she sounded happy. I pictured her smiling, with exposed dimples, and playing with her hair. We made small talk about school.

“I think I saw you after school,” I said.

“I went to Junior’s after school,” she said.

“For cheesecake with the girls?”

There was dead silence. I couldn’t even hear her breathe.

“Delancey?” I asked.

“I’m here.” Her voice cracked.

“Well, I went to Junior’s with Juan.” She paused.

“Oh, I know, I saw the two of you. What was that about?” I asked.

“Actually, it was mostly about you,” she said.

“Me? I find it hard to believe that Juan wanted to talk to you about me.” I laughed out loud.

“Just the opposite. I wanted to talk to him about you.”

“That’s unusual. What does he have to do with anything?” I was confused.

“I wanted to make sure that he was not going to do something out of anger or jealousy.” She was biting her nails.

“I’m not worried about Juan; I can take care of myself.”

“David, I know that. I want to make sure Juan does not cause any trouble and he won’t. I still think something is seriously wrong with you for wanting to go out with me.” Delancey was unnecessarily apologetic and seemed to be fishing for compliments. I really didn’t mind reassuring her.

“Delancey, every guy I know would want to go out with you. You’re sexy, you’re beautiful, and you’re smart, funny, and great to be around. If I’m crazy, then all the guys at school are crazy too.” I heard her giggle.

We spoke for a while, changing the topic eventually to her father.

“I’ve been arguing a lot with my father,” she confessed. “He’s really stressing me out.”

“Well, I think that all kids our age go through the same thing,” I tried to reassure her.

“He does not want me dating or hanging out. He says boys will just ruin my future.”

“I take it he’s referring to me specifically.”

“My father’s just very over protective. He even got me a licensed handgun for my birthday. He said that I needed it for safety, especially on the subways.”

“A gun? Delancey, it’s impossible to get a pistol license in New York City.” I was shocked.

“My father knows Governor Cuomo. I didn’t want the gun, but he said that New York was really dangerous and I should carry one with me. It was a small gun with jewels on it, customized to look feminine. It doesn’t even matter, because the gun was stolen from my bag right after my birthday. Its fine because I don’t want it.”

It was strange that a man would buy his daughter a gun for her birthday. Carlos had Delancey’s gun.

The next day, Doreen found out through her guidance counselor that Harvard did not receive her application. I could barely understand anything Doreen said. She was hysterical. One of her friends tried to console her. When she calmed down, she said that she mailed the Harvard application on Dekalb Avenue.

I remembered the day I saw the mailbox fire. Sam and Doreen had broken up right about then. I could never figure out why Sam was being so friendly to a girl he was not interested in, but now the thought occurred to me that the whole relationship was a ruse. All Sam wanted was to make sure that Doreen’s application never reached Harvard.

But could he have done it? Was he that diabolical? I was pretty sure that he had something to do with Doreen’s missing Harvard application, but there was a small part of me that wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt. I had to tread carefully. Facts were more important than my intuition.