Timmy

CHAPTER SIX: GRANDMA PIZANO

CHAPTER SIX: GRANDMA PIZANO

That night, inside the crawlspace, Timmy tossed and turned as his nightmare haunted him once more.  He saw his mom and dad pulling him along as they ran into the alley behind the theater. They were looking for a place to hide or a means of escape.  Timmy cried out in his sleep as he saw them stop half way down the alley under the fire escape. 'No!' tears streaming, he muttered. 'Run! Run!'

Timmy felt his heart pound in his throat as long shadows crept into the narrow alley. He could almost smell the musk of the rain as his parents turned to see three figures quickly approaching them.

  'Jonathan, they're coming!' his mom's voice echoed.

  'Run!' muttering in his sleep, Timmy pleaded. 'Get out of there!'

  'I want you to climb that ladder daddy is holding and find a place to hide.' came his mom's tearful voice.

  'Don't leave me! Take me with you!'

  Despite his efforts, Timmy was powerless to change the events as they played out in his nightmare. He was forced to watch as a towering man in the shadows leveled a gun under the alley's light. He saw the tattoo of a single red rose engulfed in a bright yellow flame on his wrist just before he pulled the trigger. Timmy heard his mother scream as the first shot rang out then silence as the second sent her falling to the cold and wet alley floor in a pool of blood.

Timmy cried out in his dream. 'Mommy!?' no answer came. 'Mommy!'

This time his cry was heard over the rain. The mysterious man in the shadows looked up at the fire escape, revealing the face of the bouncer, Max just before he fired his gun at him'

**********

  The shot loudly rang out and echoed within his mind as Timmy woke with a start as he pushed himself away from the window, afraid for his life.  The nightmare was clearer than before; it felt too real. Shaking from fear and frustration, he raised a hand to his left shoulder and rubbed it as if it had ached and throbbed.

  'I got to find them.' Whispering, he cried. 'I just got to.'

  Timmy's thoughts were interrupted by a deep growl from his stomach; he had not eaten since late afternoon and it was only one small sandwich.  He opened the small door and looked out the window at the night sky; the weather was warm and clear.  He dried his eyes, allowing a small grin to touch the corners of his mouth.

  'Maybe, if I got some air and something to eat''

  He turned to the production posters, visible in the flickering candle light, as if to ask permission.

  'Go for it, kid.' Whispering, a tough male voice from one poster said.

  Timmy's smile brightened and he stepped out the window onto the fire escape landing where he took a moment to look down.  A fall from the top of a twelve story building would certainly mean his death.  He backed up; pushing himself against the wall near the window then ran to the railing and leaped up onto it. The fire escape moaned loudly under his weight as he launched himself high into the air.

  The first time Timmy did this, it was his intention to kill himself.  But something held him up as he sailed across the narrow alley and easily landed on the metal floor of a fire escape on the other side.  It was then he understood that the spirits of the theater were there to protect him and they were not going to let him take his own life.

  As Timmy landed on the fire escape of the other building, he looked around for a moment to see if the noise had attracted anyone's attention. Hearing nothing alarming, he climbed the fire escape to roof of the other building where he took in the warm night air and gazed at the scenery.  The rooftops of the low buildings around him and the larger building in the distance made a truly a remarkable sight.  It was like a new world just waiting to be explored.

  'I wish I could share this with Angel.' Smiling, he whispered. 'I think she would love this.'

  He wanted to enjoy the sights, sounds, and smells a little longer but his complaining stomach cut that short.  He looked around at the number of restaurants and coffee shops with his mouth watering as he tried to decide what he wanted for a late night snack.

  'What am I in the mood for?' Pondering, he asked himself. 'There's that doughnut shop four buildings down to the right...'

Timmy smiled, remembering the smell and taste of freshly made doughnuts as they literally melted in his mouth. He had foiled a late night robbery six months ago. He entered to beg for food and caught the armed robber threatening the elderly owner. He took up a chair and landed it hard onto the robber's head; breaking the chair and knocking him out with one blow. He was always welcome for an order of treats since.

He shook his head. 'No; I don't want doughnuts; not this late.' He paused. 'There's that little pizza place ten buildings to the left and four back''

Timmy loved pizza; especially when he could help make it. He had saved the owner's daughter from a mugger last year and was always welcome there since only he again shook his head. 'I don't think I'm in the mood for pizza; not tonight.'

  Timmy's stomach growled again, he had to make up his mind.

  'Maybe I can have spaghetti.'  He smiled and nodded. 'Spaghetti.'

  Timmy giggled to himself as he raced across the roof of the building and leaped off the edge. He felt the warm force holding him up as he sailed over an alley and landed onto the roof of another building. 'That sounds great!'

  From one building to another, up and down fire escapes, and through dark empty alleys, Timmy traveled three blocks to the edge of the theater district where he found a number of low buildings guarded by a high chain link fence.  Mounted on the main gate was a sign that read:

'Grandma Pizano's banquet supply company'

  Not too far from the complex of buildings was a large single level building with the words, 'Grandma Pizano's Italian restaurant' etched in fancy letters on a plaque above the front door.  In Timmy's opinion, the Italian restaurant was the finest in all of New York.

  From his roof top perch, Timmy patiently watched the restaurant from the shadows, waiting for the workers to close for the night. The smells of food drifting from the restaurant made his stomach grumble impatiently as his mouth watered with anticipation. Fortunately, he did not have long to wait; the lights went out and the waiters and cooks left the building shortly after with a small figure inside locking the door behind them.  After the last worker was out of sight, Timmy made his way down a fire escape and hurried across the street to the restaurant.

  'I wonder if Grandma Pizano is working tonight.'

  Timmy hurried through the shadows to the rear of the restaurant and firmly knocked delivery door. Presently, a boy stepped out into the light with a long cooking knife in his hand. Seeing it, Timmy jumped into the shadows, startled. The boy was tall and well-built with light brown hair and blue eyes. He wore blue jeans, tennis shoes, and a T-shirt with a white apron over it all. Timmy sighed, recognizing him. 'Who's out there; show yourself!' In a heavy Italian accent, the boy demanded.

  'Hi, Bobby; it's good to see you again.' Stepping into the light, Timmy said. 'You look good.'

  Bobby let out a hardy laugh.  'Hey, Timmy; where have you been hiding yourself!?!' he smiled and waved him forward. 'Come on in. We just closed the restaurant for the night; we'll restart a few of the grills so you can dine in style!'

  Timmy followed Bobby inside to the kitchen where he was led into the lobby where they found a second well-built boy, busy setting a number of neatly folded napkins onto the many tables.

  'Hey, Joey!' Smiling, Bobby called. 'Let that go and fetch Mama!  Timmy's come to pay us a visit!'

  Joey, a near double image of his brother turned and let out a laugh of his own.  He dropped his work and ran up to Timmy giving him a quick but strong hug. 'Hey, Timmy; it's great to see you again!' Releasing him, he said. 'I haven't seen you in a while; how have you been?'

  Timmy shrugged. 'I've been good, I guess; how about you?'

  Joey laughed. 'Well, as you can see my brother and I have gotten a little stronger since Mama adopted us out of that death trap of an orphanage...'

  'We can catch up later.' Firmly, Bobby said. 'Go fetch Mama.'

  Joey moaned and began to protest but Bobby gave him a pat on the back.

  'Relax. We'll both get our fair turn to talk to Timmy.'

  Joey nodded his approval and followed Bobby as he escorted Timmy back into the kitchen.  There, while Bobby turned on a few grills, Joey dashed through a swinging door off the kitchen.  Timmy watched him leave then turned to Bobby, blushing slightly as his stomach growled again.

  Bobby laughed. 'You're really hungry tonight, eh, Timmy?' He smiled. 'Don't worry; we'll cook something up for you.'

  'Just name your dish, Timmy.' said Joey, reemerging from the door.  'We'll whip it up special for you.'  He turned to his brother. 'Mama is on her way down.  She told me to help you in the kitchen.'

  Bobby nodded and turned to Timmy. 'Well, what are in the mood for?'

  Timmy smiled. 'Spaghetti.'

  Bobby returned Timmy's smile. 'That's our specialty!'

  Joey leaned close to Timmy. 'It's also the only thing momma will let us cook right now.'

  Bobby lightly smacked his brother on the back of the head, causing Timmy to laugh.

  'What did you do that for?' Irritated, Joey asked.

  Bobby grunted. 'Come on; let's make a batch that will really knock Timmy's socks off!'

  Timmy was glad that Bobby and Joey got adopted into a good home.  As he watched them work he knew that they could not have asked for a better guardian.  Even before the accident, Rita Pizano showed him and all of the orphans great love and generosity.  Whenever they came for a visit, she would have a plate of food and treats ready for them.  Timmy had always wished he could repay her kindness. He never dreamed that opportunity would come with such peril.

**********

  It was almost two years ago.  Timmy was out on the rooftops, hoping to pay the kind woman a visit when he heard an explosion not too far from the restaurant.  He turned and saw that one of the many low buildings was on fire and burning out of control.  Timmy rushed across the roof tops to a skylight on the roof of the burning building. There, he peered inside to find the kind elderly woman in blue jeans and a white blouse. She was trapped under a large steel rack of caged shelves that had fallen on top of her.  Rita Pizano was short and slightly plump with shoulder length 'salt and pepper' colored hair and emerald blue eyes that seemed to sparkle in the light. Timmy could not stand by and watch the kind woman suffer; pushed the skylight open and dropped inside. He landed a few feet from Rita, startling her.

'Don't be scared.' Quickly, he said. 'I'm here to help you.'

  Timmy examined the shelves holding Rita down; they were filled with large cylinders marked propane.  At the time he did not know what propane was but he did know that the fire was raging around them was swiftly drawing closer.  He took a fast hold of the caged shelves and made his best effort to lift them off her.  The same skills that had allowed him to elude his many pursuers had also gifted him with a surprising strength but he was not strong enough to lift the rack.

  'It's too heavy for you, child!' Crying, Rita warned. 'Get out of here before the flames take you as well!'

  Timmy refused to listen.  He studied the shelves again and found that the cylinders could be removed from the shelves.  Only his heart skipped a beat as he spotted a bright sticker marked 'explosive'.

  'Run while you still can!' Pleading, Rita screamed. 'Those propane tanks could explode any minute!'

  With his heart racing, Timmy hurriedly pulled one cylinder after another off the shelves hoping to lighten the weight. After removing ten or twelve of them, Timmy tried again.  This time the rack of shelf moved; with a grunt of effort, he lifted it high enough for Rita to crawl out from under it before he dropped the weight to help her up to her feet.

  'Thank you, child!' Grateful, she said. 'But now we're both trapped.'

  Timmy coughed from the heavy smoke and took a hold of Rita's hand. 'Hang on to me; I'll find a way out.'

  Rita took a step but stumbled as her leg was badly cut and bleeding. Timmy caught her and used himself as a crutch as he slowly led Rita through the darkness. The thick smoke from the fire made it difficult to see very far but Timmy was used to moving around in the dark so that did not frighten him.  It was the fire and the cylinders marked 'explosive' that worried him. He paused for a second as he felt a hot breeze moving the smoke in one direction and quickly followed it around the engulfing flames to an open door and out to safety.

  Moments after they had reached a safe distance, the propane tanks exploded, causing the small building to violently collapse upon itself.  Three fire trucks arrived upon the scene shortly after and firefighters began to fight the heavy blaze. Timmy stayed long enough to make certain Rita was safely taken to the hospital before vanishing into the shadows from where he had come. It was from that day onward that Rita always called him'

**********

  'My little Pizano!'

  His mind returning to the present, Timmy whirled around and smiled upon seeing Rita Pizano enter the kitchen with the aid of a cane.  She walked up to Timmy as quickly as her body would allow and gave him a quick hug.

  'It's so good of you to come visit me again. I really wish you would consider joining my little family.  All those poor orphans who used to visit me have been adopted except for you.' She pouted. 'I constantly worry myself sick, knowing that you're living all alone out there.'

  Timmy giggled slightly. 'It is good to see you again, Grandma Pizano. Sorry I haven't visited in a while; I've been a little busy. Don't worry about me; I can take care of myself.'

  Timmy gave her a reassuring smile but as he did Rita looked at him curiously before letting out a giggle. 'I can see you have been busy.' She leaned onto her cane. 'So tell me, what's her name?'

  Timmy gave her a confused look. 'Her?'

  Again, Rita giggled. 'You can't fool Grandma Pizano, Timmy. I know what's going on.'

  'You do?'

  Rita nodded; a knowledgeable smile on her face. 'The light dab of lipstick on the corner of your mouth tells it all; you've found yourself a girlfriend!'

'Huh?'

  Timmy turned and found himself in the shiny surface of a large silver plate on a table.  Gazing at his reflection, he found that he had missed a small amount of lipstick when he washed off the makeup.  Blushing, he quickly wiped it off with the sleeve of his shirt and turned back to Rita, trying his best to hide his embarrassment.

  'She's not a girlfriend, not really.'

  Rita smiled.  'Well then, you must tell me all about this very good friend for yours, Timmy.  Don't leave anything out; I want to hear every last detail.'  She turned to her sons.  'Make that a double order of spaghetti, boys. I will be dinning with my little Pizano tonight.'

  Rita escorted Timmy out of the kitchen into the empty lobby of the restaurant where she pointed to a private booth that had been modified. Three walls had been erected around it with a swinging door that hid whoever dinned inside.  Passed the swinging door was a table with four chairs out of public sight.  On the table was a small hand painted plaque which read, 'Reserved for Little Pizano.'

  'Do you like it?' Smiling, Rita asked. 'I had this little booth built and reserved for you a few days ago.'

  Timmy blushed more. 'It's great but you didn't have to go to all the trouble just for me''

  Rita silenced him with a wave of her hand and smiled sweetly. 'I wanted you to be able to eat in my restaurant without fear of anyone seeing you.  She winked. 'I expect you to visit me a little more often.'

  Rita and Timmy sat down at the table, facing each other, as Joey placed a tall glass of cold milk and a tray of sweet rolls in front of them.

  'The spaghetti will be ready soon.  May I offer you some music?'

  'Not now, Joey.' Lightly, Rita scolded. 'Timmy is about to tell me all about his new friend.' she gave Timmy a smile. 'It's a girl.'

  Joey turned to Timmy surprised, a smile forming on his face. 'A girlfriend, Timmy I want to hear this too.'

  Timmy blushed again and Rita gave her son a light whack on the buttocks with her cane, causing him to jump.

  'Ow! Momma!'

  'Don't momma me, Joey. Go help your brother while I talk to Timmy.'

  'But ma''

  'Timmy will tell me what he can now and I will consider telling you later.'

  Joey frowned and reluctantly left the two alone to talk.

  After he was gone, Rita turned back to Timmy. 'What is her name?'

  Timmy smiled sheepishly. 'Her name is Angel. I really don't know her last name yet.'

  'Do you like her?'

  'Oh, I have never met anyone like her before.  She is gentle, clever, and' and''

'Pretty?'

  Again, Timmy smiled. 'She's beautiful.'

  Rita leaned forward, anxious. 'What does she look like?'

  'She is about my height, maybe a little taller with long brown hair and brown eyes.' he paused as a dreamy look came across his face. 'She has a soft touch.'

  'Ah! You held hands, did you?'

  Timmy smiled; blushing more. Before he could speak, his stomach growled again and he gave a giggle.

  Rita giggled with him. 'You must be very hungry tonight, Timmy.'

  As if on cue, Bobby came into view with two large plates filled with a towering pile of spaghetti. He placed one in front of Timmy and the other in front of Rita.

  'Can I bring you anything else?' he asked.

  Rita shook his head. 'No, this should be fine.  I will call if Timmy needs another helping.'

  Bobby nodded and quietly walked away as Timmy ate hungrily. Rita was silent for a while; almost proud he was so polite.

  'Tell me, Timmy.' she said, 'How did you meet her?'

  'By accident, really.' replied Timmy.

  Timmy went on to explain, in between bites, how Angel come to find him in his hiding place, being very careful not to reveal what or where that hiding place was.  He knew that Rita had an idea where he was hiding.  She had her two sons follow him on a number of occasions but he had always managed to lose them in the busy streets of theater district.  Rita's sons had come as close as the front door of the theater he was hiding in but they never checked the alley.

  'I had a suspicion you were living somewhere in the theater district.' said Rita. 'You always manage to lose my sons there.' She leaned forward, hopeful. 'Tell me, which theater are you hiding... er ... living in? I would really like to visit you sometime.'

  Timmy smiled, his eyes laughing. 'Nice try, Grandma Pizano.'

  Rita smiled back, trying to hide her disappointment. 'You can't blame a woman for trying.'

  The two finished their meal in silence until the time had come for Timmy to move on.

  'Are you sure you don't want to stay; at least for the night?' Worried, Rita asked. 'I'm sure I can offer a better night sleep than you've ever had anywhere else.'

  Timmy shook his head. 'No thank you, Grandma Pizano. I'm doing fine on my own right now.' sensing Rita's sadness, he smiled and added, 'Besides, I gave Angel a promise. I have to keep it.'

  With that, he was gone; his footfalls quickly becoming obscured by the sounds of traffic as he vanished into the night.

  'You are good boys.' Turning to his sons, Rita said. 'You know how much my little Pizano, means to me.  I want him to join our family.'

  Bobby nodded. 'We know momma. Joey and I would like Timmy to be a part of our family too.'

  Rita smiled. 'After Timmy learns what it feels like to have a good night sleep and a good hot home cooked meal, he just may agree to stay.' She paused, dreaming. 'He may even agree to join our family.'  She turned back to her two sons.  'Please, boys, do your best to find my little Pizano and bring him home.'

  Minutes later, Timmy paused to catch his breath in front of the New Hope Orphanage for boys.  It was where the old gang he had befriended had lived before the theater staff adopted them.  Normally, he would not have passed the orphanage. Only he knew Rita asked Bobby and Joey to follow him and took a different route to throw them off. As he stood there to gather his second wind, he caught the faint sounds of a young boy crying.  He looked up and found the child sitting by a window on the first floor, only twenty feet away.

  'Why did mommy leave me in this terrible place?' Crying, the boy asked. 'I wish she'd come back for me.'

  Timmy sighed, feeling sorry for the child. After a pause, he knotted his jaws in decision and nodded.  He was in too good of a mood to allow the little boy to feel so alone this night.

  It has been a while since I performed here. He shrugged. Why not; I could use a little fun.

  Timmy quickly, quietly moved to a nearby elm tree that stood close to the high brick wall that surrounded the orphanage grounds.  The previous guardian of the orphanage had placed a short fence around the elm tree to make it harder to climb but it did not detour Timmy.  He easily climbed the elm and leaped off, onto the grounds in front of the building where he found his favorite spot to perform.  It was in front of the main entrance, under a bright unmoving spotlight which only lit a small section of the grounds.  Timmy stepped into the light and waited for a number of orphans to come to the windows before he began his performance.  When he was confident that he had a large enough audience, he began to sing.  It was a song from the musical, Orphans on Broadway, called Mommy.

Mommy!

Don't leave me alone tonight!

I thought I had found you.

Now I'm an orphan again.

What have I done to make you push me away?

Please mommy, be there for me!

  Inside the orphanage, Mr. Calm, the new guardian of the boys watched Timmy from his office window with a small smile slowly spreading across his face. Mr. Calm was a short but muscular man in his early thirties with crew cut brown hair and green eyes. He was appointed the new guardian of New Hope Orphanage after the last guardian was arrested for inhumane treatment of the orphans who resided there. He had a big job ahead of him as all of the boys had seemed to lose any hope in people outside their group.

  'So that's the famous Broadway Specter.' he said. 'I was beginning to wonder when he would visit here again.'

  The new head of security, a tall, balding man stood at his side, frowning.  'Should I send the boys out to try to catch him, Mr. Calm.' he asked. 'At least let them chase him away.'

  Mr. Calm shook his head. 'We will let him perform a little while longer, Frank. The boys seem to like him and I believe that the kid's performances will give them a new sense of hope; they might sleep better tonight because of it.'

  He turned to the man, his smile widening. 'You may try, if you think it'll do you any good but I seriously doubt you'll ever catch him.'

  Frank frowned. 'What do you mean?  He's just a kid.'

  Mr. Calm let out a low chuckle. 'I have heard a number of the boys here talking about that kid.  He's become somewhat of a legend around here.  From what I've been able to piece together, a number of attempts were made by the police and the social services to catch him.  Only, despite their efforts, no one has ever been able to do it.'

  Frank crossed his arms. 'I heard the rumors too. I suspect the boy is an orphan himself and should be here."

  Mr. Calm sighed. 'I run a tight ship here, not nearly as tight as the previous guardian.  Still, it's going to take some work and a lot of time to repair the physical and psychological damage that Cruel and his abusive men had caused.  Many of the children here had lost their trust in people; they're very careful about who they talk to and what they say around any adult.'

  He paused, watching Timmy singing and dancing under the bright courtyard light.

  'Orphan or not, if that boy out there can bring even a little happiness to the boys in my care, I am not going to stop him.'

  Just then, two young boys entered the scene and began to chase after Timmy who dodged them with little effort.

  Hearing the children excitingly laughing and shouting at Bobby and Joey's many futile attempts to catch Timmy, Mr. Calm turned back to Frank. 'The children are beginning to get a little too rowdy, Frank; I think it's time for you to tell our three young visitors to move along.'

  Frank gave a short chuckle and left the office. After he had left, Mr. Calm turned back to the window, smiling. 'This should prove interesting.'

Outside, Timmy giggled as he effortlessly dodging Bobby and his brother. He knew they were trying to get him to hold still and talk him into going back with them. Still, he was having too much fun with his performance at the moment to talk to them.

  'Come on, Timmy!' Between gasps, Bobby called. 'Give us a break!'

  Gasping for air, Joey, added, 'Slow down, will you?'
 
Timmy paused under the searchlight to wave at the large crowd of boys who were watching him from the windows.  They were cheering, laughing, and shouting, 'Bravo! Encore!'

  Timmy would have loved to give the boys another performance; he was having fun. Only he saw a small group of men hurry out the front door of the orphanage; he knew that it was time for him to leave.  Dodging Bobby and Joey, he gave the boys watching him a quick bow before running out to the elm tree where he leaped up into its thick branches and stepped off onto the wall.  There, he turned back to the orphan boys and called out, 'Thank you! Good night!'

  With that, he was gone, swallowed by the night.  No footfalls were heard steadily fading into the distance, the boys' cheers, shouts, and whistles drowned them out.  There was no way for Bobby or Joey to tell which way he had gone.

  Joey sighed. 'How does he do that?'

  Bobby shook his head. 'I wish I knew.'

  The sound of a man clearing his throat caused the two to jump and they spun around face a towering, balding man in a security uniform with two men in similar attire behind him. The man looked down on Bobby and Joey with a polite smile.

  'Unless you two young gentlemen are orphans trying to get off the street, I suggest you move along home.'

  Joey and Bobby gave the man a nervous laugh.

  Minutes later, back at the theater, Timmy crawled through the window into his crawlspace home with a small grin on his face.

  'Tonight was really fun.' Sleepily, he said. 'I just hope I wake up feeling as good as do now.'

  The moment Timmy's head came to a rest upon his bed, he fell into yet another restless slumber.