The Street Rat 103

“Dinnertime!” Eddie called, returning to the alley they were living in with a plastic bag. “Tomas, Alex, come eat.”

He laid down a rotisserie chicken on top of their crate, as far away from the graffitied dumpster, its smell, and the flies circling it as he could get.

“Where did the food come from, Eddie?” Maria asked, following the running boys to the crate.

“A business negotiation. I am a businessman, after all,” Eddie answered with a shrug and a wink to the boys.

“Eddie.”

“I have a friend who works at the grocer on 35th. He worked out a deal with the manager to get me some food when they need to get rid of it. The manager is, technically, supposed to throw it all out, but he told Jared that he could save me some.”

“In exchange for what?” Maria asked, crossing her arms.

“In exchange for what?” Eddie repeated incredulously, turning his outstretched arms towards the boys eating on the floor with a look of disbelief on his face. “In exchange for the fact that no one has tried to rob the grocer since the Street Rat showed up!”

“Are you still trying to give yourself a nickname? And can you not come up with something better than calling yourself a street rat?”

“First of all, it’s the Street Rat. Secondly, if I remember correctly, it was you who came up with the name. Lastly, if it’s good enough for Aladdin, it’s good enough for me.”

“I said that as a joke. I didn’t think you’d actually call yourself that. And Aladdin literally said he didn’t buy him being a street rat. He sang a whole song about that not being good enough for him. Your analogy doesn’t even work.”

“It was just a reprise.” Eddie waved her off.

As the boys finished laughing, a scream pierced through the sirens causing the group to freeze.

Without a second of hesitation, Eddie took off toward the shriek as Maria led the boys deeper into the shadows.

In the alley across the street, Eddie found four men huddled around a young man and woman right at the entrance as two dogs ran past him, away from the altercation. The man was hunched over on the ground, grasping his ribs, while the woman had backed into a wall as the men crept closer.

Eddie lunged at the man closest to him when he reached the scene, knocking the assailant down as he tripped over the man on the ground. Another mugger left the girl with his remaining accomplices and charged Eddie. Eddie stepped aside as the man reached him, sticking a leg out and sending the man sprawling to the uneven asphalt with a push.

Eddie turned back to see the two men grabbing the woman as the young man and the two’s comrades all lay on the ground, struggling. The men lifted the woman, kicking and struggling to get away. One held each arm to keep her from reaching the ground.

Eddie chased after them, but the men were rapidly closing in on their car. Eddie was still twenty feet away as they approached the car, but the woman was able to bite an arm, forcing one man to drop her and slowing the other down from getting her in the car.

That was all the time Eddie needed. He slammed the open car door into the one who was still holding the woman. Then he knocked out the man on the ground with a kick to the head. Helping the woman up, Eddie put her arm around his shoulder and led her back to the young man, who was slowly rising to his feet. Eddie rushed the two into the diner as sirens approached louder nearby and the muggers scrambled to get away.

Eddie slumped into the wall of the diner, heaving. The couple sat on the other side of the wooden booth, checking one another for injury.

“What happened out there?” Eddie asked after catching his breath.

“One moment we were walking down 16th Street, and the next,” the man explained, slapping the damp table for emphasis, “bam! Hands came out of the alley and pulled us in. They tried to take Sarah’s purse, but I pushed them away and stepped in front of her. Then they punched me in the ribs until I fell down. I remember being kicked for a bit before it finally stopped.”

“Barry was so brave,” Sarah said, putting her hand on Barry’s arm. “After they hit him and you showed up, the two tried to pick me up and take me to their car. If you hadn’t shown up and Barry hadn’t been so brave and slowed them down, I don’t know what would’ve happened.”

“I’m sure you can take some guesses.” Eddie sighed, leaning his head back against the wall. “Out here, being brave is a good way to get yourself killed. You let them take the purse, and, yeah, you’re out whatever’s in the purse, but you’re still alive to be out of it. The stuff in the purse won’t matter if you’re dead. Next time, just let it go and get out while you can.”

“How can you say that?” Sarah demanded. “Barry was only trying to protect me. And what do you call what you were doing out there? How can you say it’s okay for you and not Barry?”

“Because I am from here. From these streets. I know how to handle myself in these situations. I have absolutely nothing against Barry, but he doesn’t live on the streets like I do. He isn’t forced to fight and claw to survive. And that’s a good thing; I wish me and my friends were that lucky. No one should have to live this way.

“But while I do, I am going to try and protect people who are also out here. You don’t survive very long being homeless if you can’t take care of yourself on the streets. Be thankful you and Barry haven’t had to learn that the hard way and that you get to live to see another day after today.”

“I knew we shouldn’t have come down this way, Barry. Between muggers and these homeless people, it’s just not safe for us. We should go now.” She stood and waited for Barry to follow her.

“Give me one second, honey. I’ll meet you at the front.” As Sarah walked to the front door of the exit, Barry looked back at Eddie. “I’m sorry about that. She doesn’t mean any of what she said. She’s just scared and trying to defend me. You’re right, though. I don’t know what it’s like to be in your shoes, and those are shoes that shouldn’t have to be filled. But I am thankful you were there tonight to save Sarah and I. I know it’s not much, but it’s all I have on me. Please, take it. Feed yourself and your friends tonight. It is literally the least I can do,” Barry said, handing Eddie a twenty-dollar bill. “Take care of yourself. And thank you again.” Barry stepped toward Sarah and the door, before pausing to look over his shoulder. “What did you say your name was again?”

“I’m the Street Rat,” Eddie replied with a smile. “Pass it along when you fill out your police report.”

“I’ll be sure to do that,” Barry laughed as he walked away.

Sarah was at the front, already speaking to the officers who had arrived.

Eddie got up from the table and maneuvered through the dinner crowd at Sal’s. He walked back to his alley to find Maria and Tomas trying to comfort a crying Alex.

“Hey, hey,” Eddie said softly, squatting beside them, “what happened, buddy?”

“Some stray dogs got a hold of the chicken you had brought us after we ran,” Maria explained, rubbing Alex’s back. “Alex thinks it’s his fault because he thinks we ran to protect him because he’s the smallest.”

“Alex, you are worth so much more than that chicken was. And it’s not your fault you had to run. It’s mine. I get distracted if the three of you are there when things happen, so I told Maria to help me by getting you three away when fights happen. And don’t you worry about dinner because I just made twenty big ones!” Eddie wore a bright smile as he showed Alex the twenty.

Alex laughed as Eddie ruffled his hair and helped him back up. Maria wiped his eyes, and Tomas put his arm around his little brother as they all walked across the street to the diner for a nice family dinner.

The Street Rat continues with The Street Rat 104!

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