Poor Jenny, Bright As A Penny

Chapter 14

The next day all Jenny and Bingo could think of was finding Crystal.

“Runga had a six-hour start,” Georgie said. “He could be anywhere, particularly with the arrests that are being made.” Aubin Flick’s arrest had been one of twenty-seven in a raid by narcotics squads. “The department is doing everything it can. But if Runga has left her, and she’s moved into some crash pad, it could be very difficult.”

“But why can’t the police search all the—” Bingo began.

“An officer can’t, Bingo. He can go to the door and ask questions, but he can’t search. He would have to have a warrant to search, and that’s practically impossible to get under circumstances like this.”

“But why?”

“That’s the way it is, Bingo. It’s the law. But if Runga has left her she might go to the police on her own.”

For Bingo’s sake, Jenny tried to be calm. But the fear and revulsion inside her would not be stilled, and as soon as she could she slipped away by herself and began to canvas the neighborhood around the purple house. She knew the police had asked questions of the people on the block, but Jenny set out to do the entire area.

She went from door to door asking if anyone had seen a girl like Crystal, seen anyone in the purple house, knew where such a girl might be.

But most of the people were rude and uncaring. Or they were patently nosey, asking questions but making no attempt to help her. And some of the men who answered her knocks tried to get her inside. It was not a kindly neighborhood. The more she begged for information, the more discouraged she became.

She avoided the purple house itself. Narcotics agents had been all over it and she tried to keep out of their sight. But when they were finished, and when she was ready to cry with frustration at unkind adults, she crept into it. She wanted to be where Crystal had been.

She left the doors open to make herself feel safer. It was late afternoon; she was so tired and despondent that the purple room with its bloody red pipes and its posters made her nauseous.

Bingo had described the house so well that she knew where to go and what to expect, but still the reality was arresting. For one thing, there were the smells. It smelled of mildew, of pot, of rotting wood, and of rancid food. She climbed the stairs and stood staring at the mattresses and debris. And thinking of Crystal as Bingo had described her.

She could imagine Bingo there, and the figure of Runga. She saw Crystal’s thin and haggard face. She saw Runga hit Bingo, saw the pill, saw Crystal grovel like a whipped puppy. She saw the knife held at Bingo’s throat. Then she saw Runga take Crystal away as he must have done. She sat down on a mattress, nauseous.

She thought of how Crystal’s smile had always delighted Papa, of Crystal at seven or eight, dressed up in Mama’s white fur jacket that hung to her knees. She could see Crystal running along the boardwalk in a yellow dress, laughing. She thought of Crystal when Papa died, curled up next to Bingo on the bed.

Then the tears came.

Even when she heard footsteps on the stairs, Jenny’s sobs would not stop. She knew she should be frightened, but she simply waited dully, not caring, while the tears streamed down her face.

It was Georgie.

When all the crying was done, Jenny said in a desolate voice, “How did you know where I was?”

“Someone you talked to called the station.”

“Oh.”

Georgie said no more until they were home and Jenny felt better, then she told her she did not want her back in the neighborhood.

“But I have to.”

But Georgie’s gaze defeated Jenny. “That four-year-old child was killed in that neighborhood, two blocks from where Crystal was.”

Jenny’s voice was tired. “All right, Georgie. I won’t go.” She paused, then looked squarely at Georgie. “But what would you have done?”

“The same as you,” Georgie said simply. “But that doesn’t mean I have to let you do it. Somebody has to make the rules. Besides, you’ve covered nearly the whole neighborhood.”

“But it didn’t do any good. I feel so useless, Georgie. Some of those men did frighten me, though.”

“How do you think I’d have felt if one of those men had hauled you inside and raped you, or killed you. And with this narcotics raid going on, no telling what you might have stumbled into.”

Jenny hadn’t thought of that. Jack had taken Bingo to Central Precinct to talk with narcotics men. They questioned him thoroughly, for they had no information on Runga.

“He might be Crystal’s own little import from Mexico,” Ben said dryly, and Georgie shot him a warning look.

Jenny stared in anger. “She’s my sister you’re talking about!”

Ben looked abashed.

“Just because you see this kind of thing every day doesn’t mean Bingo and I are so hardened to it. You might consider Bingo, he’s only nine. The police couldn’t find her. She traveled all the way up and down the coast, you even knew she was in San Francisco, and you couldn’t—”

“Now wait a minute. If you think we haven’t one damned thing to do but go chasing runaways, you just come down to the station and look at the crime list. We’ve got murders, narcotics, armed robbery coming out of our ears. Assaults. Bombings. We’re understaffed—every force is. We’re overworked, and these damned kids keep running away. You can’t expect them to get first priority all the time.”

“Not until they’re raped or murdered.”

“Oh, come on.”

“Well, she’s my sister.” She turned and stamped out of the house, ran down the block and up into the park and kept running, climbing, until she was out of breath. Then she sat against a tree and stared glumly at the city and thought every horrid thing she could think about Ben.

She stewed for a long time, then she began to think. She had been pretty nasty. It wasn’t his fault Crystal hadn’t been found. She began to wonder if he would forgive her.

Finally she went back, ready to apologize.

Ben was sitting at the kitchen table eating before going to work. The smell of steak and onions filled the house. She lingered in the hall, hoping he would turn around.

Then the doorbell rang. She opened the door.

It was Mama.

She had on a bright green suit and had just had her hair done. The black Ford was at the curb, Lud at the wheel, two trunks tied on top. Mama’s lipstick was a different shade, and she was wearing green earrings.

“Mama?” Jenny said dumbly.

“Yes, it’s Mama.” Mama’s glance slid past Jenny and into the house. Bingo came into the hall, and Mama hugged him. “Are you kids packed and ready? Lud wants to get on the road, I’ll just have him come get your—”

“Mama, come in first and shut the door,” Jenny said.

“We’re in a hurry, Jenny.”

“Come on, Mama. Come in the living room a minute.”

Mama went reluctantly. She glared at Sam, then sat stiffly on the edge of a chair. Jenny said, “Mama, when did you get out?”

“A few days ago. Why?”

“When, Mama?”

“The twenty-second, I guess it was.”

“That’s three weeks ago, Mama.”

“So?”

“Why didn’t you let us know you wouldn’t be here until now?”

“What difference does it make? You weren’t going anywhere. Did you expect me to hop right over here the minute they opened the gate?”

“You could have called. How do you imagine we felt, thinking you weren’t coming at all?”

“It would have served you right if I hadn’t, Miss Snot!”

“Oh, Mama.”

“Now get your stuff together. Lud has the motor running.”

“Tell him to turn it off.”

“What?”

“Mama, where are you going?”

“To the beach,” Mama said with animation. “How would you like that? Summer at the beach.”

“And then where, when summer’s over?”

“How should I know? That’s a long time away.”

“Mama, don’t you remember what I told you? Don’t you know I won’t change my mind?”

Mama stared at her.

“I said Bingo and I weren’t going to move any more. I said if you would settle down in this city and get a job, we would live with you. Otherwise we wouldn’t. Didn’t you know I wouldn’t say that unless I meant it?”

“You’re not in school now, what does it matter where we stay? Maybe at the end of summer—”

“No, Mama. That won’t work. It has to be now.”

Mama glared. “I’ve had enough. Go get yourselves packed.”

“No, Mama.”

“Make it snappy.” She scowled around Georgie’s living room as if it affronted her.

Jenny stood up. A flash of victory showed on Mama’s face. Jenny said, “If you’re leaving the city, Bingo and I are staying here. There’s no more to talk about.”

Mama fumbled for a cigarette, and lit it.

Jenny sighed and sat down. “Try to understand, Mama. You’re a grown person, you’ve made your life. We’re just beginning ours.” She reached out to Mama, but Mama shrugged away from her.

“You’re getting too big for your goddamn britches, missy. If you won’t come, good riddance. Bingo and I will go along by ourselves.” She put her hand on Bingo’s arm. “Get your stuff, honey.”

Bingo’s heart sank at hurting Mama, but he stood rigidly beside Jenny. “When you were in jail, Mama, you said you couldn’t plan for us three months ahead. And when you got out you didn’t even let us know where you were. If you don’t want us any worse than that, you don’t want us very bad. Jenny said it. We’re not going.”

Mama rose, furious. “You come along with me, young man. I can make you both come, I can go to court if I like.”

“Oh, Mama.” Jenny felt sudden tears.

Bingo pushed Mama’s hand off his arm and faced her squarely. He saw Mama very clearly then, he saw that Mama did not care what her children expected of her. That hurt him deeply, and he lashed back at her. “All you want, Mama, is the welfare money—to buy Lud beer. That’s why you want us. If you try to take us to court, Mama, we’ll tell about Lud. We can tell a lot of things about Lud that a judge wouldn’t like.”

He thought Mama was going to slap him. But instead she turned away from him, and walked slowly to the door. Jenny ran ahead of her. “Mama, please listen and try to understand—”

“Understand what? Understand you’re too good for me now? A few weeks in a fancy big house and you’re too good for your Mama. Well, you can rot in hell!”

Jenny looked abashed.

“Snobs. Dirty, high-toned snobs. You’ve turned Bingo against me, haven’t you, missy? I hope you’re proud of yourself.” Mama jerked the door open and flung out.

Jenny stood staring dumbly. Then anger rose in her. When Mama was halfway down the steps, Jenny said, “Mama!” Mama paid no attention. “Mama, Crystal’s back!”

Mama turned and stared at her. “Well, you dirty little bitch. Why didn’t you tell me?”

Standing in the open door in the bright afternoon sun, Jenny told Mama about Crystal. She told her about Runga, and the way Crystal was living. And she told her about how Bingo had been given the Mickey. She described the house where Bingo had found Crystal, the way it looked, the way it smelled.

When she had finished, Mama looked at her for a long uncomfortable moment. Then she left silently.

And Jenny was ashamed. She knew she had done it for spite. She turned away from Bingo and went into the house. She had done a terrible thing to Mama.

Ben came into the hall to get his cap. She turned her face away and walked past him to the stairs.

“Jenny?”

“Yes?”

“You had to tell her, you know.”

“No. I didn’t have to. I did it for spite.”

Ben took her by the shoulder as he might his sister, as if he meant to shake her. “She’s Crystal’s mother, Jenny. She had a right to know. You didn’t do it spitefully. Now go have yourself a cry, then forget it. You did what you had to do.”

*

When she came down later she sat at the kitchen table in the sun, trying to sort out the emotions that had risen and pushed at each other. Her fury, her feeling of shame. Mama’s hurt. And Mama’s indifference to them. When Georgie got home from the market Jenny said simply, “Mama was here. She went away without us.”

Georgie studied her solemnly. “I can’t honestly say I’m sorry. It’s selfish of me, but I wanted you to stay. We all did.”

That made Jenny bawl all over again.

Bingo came and sat with them and looked solemnly at Georgie. “Georgie, do you think Mama can help the way she is?”

“I don’t know, Bingo. No one in the world can be perfectly sure what another is capable of, and what he is not.”

It wasn’t a very satisfactory answer. But it was an honest one. Georgie didn’t say that Mama couldn’t help what she had done. Jenny studied Bingo. She thought he knew, inside himself, that Mama could have helped it.