Red Rain

23

Lea grabbed the car keys and stuffed them in her jacket pocket. She herded the twins toward the back door. “Where’s Ira? Ira’s coming with us? Did you see him?”

Before they could answer, Elena burst into the kitchen. “Have you seen my necklace? Did you see it anywhere?”

Lea blinked. “Necklace?”

“The one with the amethyst. You know. Grandma’s necklace? It was on my dresser. I know I left it on top of my dresser. Now I can’t find it anywhere.”

“Maybe it fell off, sweetie,” Lea suggested. “Did you look underneath?”

“Duh. Like of course. Like I’m not stupid.” Elena turned to the twins. “Did you see a necklace anywhere?”

They both shook their heads. “Not me,” Daniel said.

“We’ll all search for it when we get back,” Lea said. “It didn’t fly away. We’ll find it. Get Ira for me, will you? I’m taking the twins shopping.”

Lea drove the twins to the mall at Bridgehampton to buy them clothes. Ira had protested vehemently, but she forced him to accompany them and help select what kids at his school were wearing. The twins had been with them for two days, and he hadn’t made a single attempt to be friendly. Now he sat glumly in the front seat beside her, his arms crossed, staring straight ahead through the windshield.

In the Camry’s backseat, the twins strained at their seat belts, leaning out the windows to see the passing scenery.

“I don’t think they’ve ever been in a car before,” she told Ira.

No response.

“Come on, Ira. Shape up.”

“Look at that truck!” Daniel exclaimed. “Couldn’t you fit a whole house in that truck!”

Lea found it so touching. These twelve-year-old boys seeing the world for the first time.

She turned into a long parking aisle and stopped while a blue pickup backed out of a spot. “Be nice to them,” she whispered to Ira. “Be a help, okay? I’ll buy you something special right now. To cheer you up. What would you like? What can I buy you?”

“A candy bar?”

Lea bought all three of them big Milky Way bars. The twins ate them slowly, taking small bites, savoring them, dopey smiles on their faces as if they were drunk from the chocolate.

“You had candy bars on the island, didn’t you?” Lea asked.

They both nodded. “I got a Snickers bar for my tenth birthday,” Samuel said.

“It was my birthday, too,” Daniel said. “We had to share it, don’t you know.”

Ira stared at them. Lea thought she caught a moment of empathy on his face. Having to share a candy bar was something Ira could feel strongly about.

Still chewing on their giant candy bars, they followed Lea into T.J.Maxx.

“We need to get you boys at least three or four pairs of jeans to wear to school,” Lea said. “Ira, what kind of jeans are the kids wearing these days?”

Ira licked caramel off his lips. “I don’t know.”

“Come on, Ira,” Lea snapped. “Help out here. What kind of jeans?”

He shrugged. “I’ll know it when I see it.”

“Okay. Follow me. Boys’ jeans are over there.”

She led them to the tables stacked high with jeans. Only a few brands but several styles and colors of denim. Did kids still wear cargo jeans? Most of the jeans in Ira’s closet had a dozen pockets up and down the legs.

She picked up a pair of straight-legged, faded denims and held it against Samuel. “This looks about your size. Ira, do kids wear these?”

Ira shrugged. “Maybe.”

Lea searched through the pile and pulled out the same size. “You boys will have to go try these on. But wait. Let’s find a few more.”

Daniel had a smear of chocolate on his chin. “Only one of us has to try them on,” he said. “We’re the same size.”

“But don’t you want to pick the ones you like?” Lea asked.

Samuel gazed up at her. “Do we really get more than one? We don’t have to share?”

“Yes. You can each pick two or three.”

The twins clapped their hands, careful not to drop their candy bars. They let out squeaks of joy.

It takes so little to make them happy, Lea thought. My kids take everything for granted.

She had a sudden memory flash: the twins stepping out of the red rain, looking so lost and forlorn. All around them, the devastation, everything down and destroyed. The mournful wails. The heavy, sour smell of death with each breath she took.

She forced the images from her mind. “Here. Go try this smaller size. Take these and try them all on.” She watched them race to the dressing room against the back wall. They were so small for their age. Ira towered over them.

Ira hunched beside her, doing his best to look bored and unhappy. “What am I supposed to do?”

“Help me pick out some shorts for Axl.”

“Big whoop.”

A short while later, success. Jeans were selected. T-shirts added to the pile. A couple of sweaters and long-sleeved shirts. It was April and the weather was still cool and damp.

“Thank you, Mum. Thank you.” From Daniel.

Then Samuel: “Thank you, Mum. I’m so happy. I never had new clothes, don’t you know.”

“Do we love our new mum? Yes!” Daniel exclaimed.

They both hugged her so tight she could barely breathe. Lea was almost overcome by their innocent, joyful gratitude. She carried the pile of clothing to the registers up front.

She dumped everything on the counter. The three boys had wandered off. Where were they? She spotted them near the back wall. They were talking to another boy. A big hulk of a boy with a hard, bulldog face. Lea recognized him from Ira’s class.

And there was his mother. Elaine Saltzman. Ahead of Lea in the line. Elaine turned as if she knew Lea was thinking about her. “Lea?”

“Hi, Elaine. How are you?”

Elaine swept her coppery hair behind one shoulder. She motioned toward the boys. “Do you have nephews visiting?”

“No. They’re mine. I mean-”

“Yours?”

“I’m adopting them. They grew up on that island off the Carolinas. Cape Le Chat Noir? They lost their families in the hurricane. And I-”

“That’s so wonderful of you, Lea. You just brought them here? You’re adopting both of them? Do you know anything about them?”

“Not really. But look. They’re sharing their candy bars with your son. Look how sweet they are.”

Samuel thought the boy was funny-looking. He looks like a big mean dog. Is he really only twelve?

The boy’s head was enormous, his black hair uncombed, falling wildly over his square forehead. He had such a mean scowl on his face. And those little bulldog eyes.

It didn’t take long to see that Ira was afraid of him.

“This is Derek,” Ira whispered as the boy lumbered up to them. “Be careful. He’s really mean. Be nice to him.”

Daniel chuckled. Samuel gave him a look, a warning, to be cool. Don’t be yourself, Daniel, he thought.

“Hey,” the big kid said. He had his eyes on Samuel’s candy bar. “What’s up?”

“These are my new brothers,” Ira told him. His voice was suddenly trembly. Like a warbling bird, Samuel thought.

Derek sneered. It made him look more like a pig than a bulldog. “Brothers? Since when?”

“My parents are adopting them,” Ira said. “They live with us now.”

Derek eyed the twins up and down, sizing them up. “How old are you?”

“Twelve,” Daniel answered.

“You don’t look twelve. You look six.”

Samuel felt a tremor of fear. Please don’t be yourself, Daniel.

Derek leaned over them, trying to be intimidating. “What are your names? Babyface One and Babyface Two?”

“I’m Daniel and he’s Samuel. Or maybe I’m Samuel and he’s Daniel. Sometimes I forget.”

Derek sneered again. “You’re a funny guy.” He eyed them slowly. “No. I got a better name for you. You’re Shrimp One and you’re Shrimp Two.”

“I want to be Shrimp Two,” Daniel said. “Can I be Shrimp Two?” He had the sweetest smile on his face. Samuel had seen that crazy smile before. It meant he wasn’t thinking sweet thoughts.

Derek stretched out a porky hand to Daniel. “I’ll finish your candy bar for you.”

Samuel saw a hard jolt freeze Daniel’s face. And then he caught the warning glance from Ira. Ira took a step back. He had his eyes on Daniel. “Just give it to him,” Ira whispered.

“Give it,” Derek ordered. He waved his hand in Daniel’s face. “I’ll finish it.” He turned to Samuel. “I’ll finish yours, too. You’ve had enough, right?”

“Right.” Samuel had his eyes on poor, frightened Ira. He handed his chocolate bar to Derek. Then he waited to see what Daniel would do.

Daniel kept that sweet smile on his face, but his cheeks were kind of red. Samuel knew that look, too. He knew everything about Daniel. After all, he was almost him. Almost, but a little different.

To Samuel’s relief, Daniel stuffed his candy bar into the big porker’s hand. “Enjoy it, Derek,” he said. “It’s all yours.”

Derek snickered. “I will enjoy it, dude.” He took a big bite and chewed with his mouth open so they could see the chocolate chunks smearing over his teeth.

“Aren’t you going to say thank you?” Daniel sounded hurt.

Derek chewed noisily. Some chocolate juice ran down his chin. He swallowed. “Funny,” he told Daniel. “You’re fucking funny. Next time, I’ll want a whole bar.”

Daniel’s smile grew tighter. Like a mask.

Samuel felt his heart skip a beat. Uh-oh.

He saw the new mum by the front windows waving two big shopping bags at them. He tugged Daniel’s arm. “We have to go. The new mum wants to leave.”

Daniel nodded. He turned slowly and followed Samuel and Ira. Derek stood in place, a candy bar in each hand, stuffing his face.

Ira pushed between them, his face all sweaty. “You have to be nice to Derek. He’s a bad dude. He likes to hurt people. Really. He beat up my friend Ethan behind the playground at school and almost broke his arm.”

“Doesn’t he ever get caught?” Daniel asked.

“I think the teachers are afraid of him, too,” Ira said.

They caught up with Lea. The twins thanked her again. All the way home, they kept thanking her and discussing which shirts and jeans to wear on their first day of school.

“That was so nice of you to share your candy with Derek,” Lea said.

“We like to share things, don’t you know,” Daniel told her.

“On the island, people have to share,” Samuel added. “Because there isn’t enough to go around.”

He saw a sad smile form on Lea’s face as she made the turn onto their block.

As soon as they were home, the twins carried the shopping bags to their room in the guesthouse. Daniel closed the door behind them, making sure it clicked. Then he pushed the lock on the handle.

He tossed the shopping bags onto the floor and turned to his twin. “What did you get?”

Samuel pulled the red leather wallet from his back pocket. He handed it to Daniel.

He could see the surprise on Daniel’s face. “You got a woman’s wallet? What’s in it?”

“Didn’t have time to look. Someone dropped it on the dressing room floor.”

Eyes flashing with excitement, Daniel poked through the wallet and pulled out a bunch of bills. “Yes. Yes. These are fifties, Sammy. Three hundred dollars. You did good.” He gave his brother a congratulatory face slap.

Samuel giggled. He liked it when Daniel was pleased with him. “What did you get, Daniel?”

Daniel reached deep into both of his pockets and began to pull out shiny things. Chains. Chains with sparkly things attached.

“Necklaces,” Samuel said. “Good boyo. So many sparkly necklaces. How did you get them?”

“Easy as salt clam pie, Sammy. The display case wasn’t locked.”

He swung the necklaces over his head, round and around, and did his funny Daniel dance. “I like sparkly things,” he said. “I’ll put these with the necklace we found in Sister’s room.”