Locomotive to the Past, George Schultz [snow like ashes series txt] 📗

“Now, what I’m asking you to do… is strictly between us girls! I’d love to be able to direct you… to follow, what I’m about to ask you! But, I can not! Nor would I! So… I ask! But… and this is in the strictest of confidence… I would like you, to present this money to Sheila! And… under no circumstances . . . are you to tell her from whence it came! Under no circumstances! Ever! No mention of name-similarity! Nothing! Just give her the money! And that’s the end of it! Just hand her the money!”

“Yes, but…”

“One more thing, Mark! And this is even more important! Much more important… than the stupid money! Mark… you’ve got to stop any legal proceedings against her! You’ve simply got to!”

“Oh… now wait a minute, Dad! I can’t just…”

“You have to, Mark! You simply have to! If it takes money . . . more money… then, please, come see me! But, they simply must be dropped… the charges! All of ’em! Simply have to!”

“Dad? Dad, I don’t know how . . .”

“Mark… you’re a smart young man! Smart as hell! You’d never have gotten… to anywhere near, where you are! What you are! Not without having a helluva lot of talent! And a helluva lot of moxie! And you’ve got both! In spades!”

“But, it was you! You are the one… who got me in! Got me my start! At WXXD!”

“That was only a foot, in the door! You did the rest! On your own! Strictly on your own! I was never, really, a consideration! Nothing close! You owe me nothing, Mark! Zero! Zilch! Nada! I’m asking you… pleading with you, actually! Please do this for me! Pull whatever strings you need to pull! Whatever it takes! Legal… or not-so-legal! But… please! Do this for me!”

“Dad? Dad… I don’t know what to say! What even… to think! This has all come…”

“I understand that! But… please! You’ve got to do this! For me?”

“All right,” the younger man answered—sighing deeply. “All right, Dad. I’ll be damned… if I know how I’m ever gonna get those charges…”

“You will! You can do it, Mark! Believe me! Once you set your mind to it, you’ll…”

“You’ve got a helluva lot more confidence in me . . . than I’ve got in me!”

“You’ll do it, Kid! I know it! You’ll do it!”

“That’s nice to hear. But…”

“You’ll damn well do it! You will!”

EPILOGUE

November 12, 2003: A knock on the door—of the Administrative Assistant—at the Wayne County Child Care Center!

“Come in,” beckoned the six-month-holder, of the position.

“Mrs. Rutkowski,” addressed the mid-forties, slightly-balding, mousy-looking, man—who was head of the accounting department. “I wanted to advise you… that they’re holding a tribute lunch for you. Wednesday… here, in Wayne! The Wayne County Board of Directors!”

The City of Wayne was (and is) a Detroit area suburb—just west of Dearborn—and part of the vast, massive, Wayne County.

“They want to honor you… finally,” continued the prissy Clarence Crowder. “For your fine work… in that God-awful, public-housing, fire, last February!”

“It wasn’t anything,” responded Sheila Rutkowski. “Not really. The big . . . the really big… problem, back then, was all those kids! So many kids, Clare! And so many of them… that were living, in such squalid conditions! Existing . . . in such God-awful conditions. Just barely existing!”

“Yes. But, you didn’t have to…”

“Look. We’ve been all over this before.”

“Not as extensively… as, perhaps, we should’ve been.”

“Listen to me, Clare! My apartment was only a block-and-a-half away. And I’d had no idea that things were so terrible… so damnably horrible . . . at that crappy project! None whatever! Not the slightest idea! You’d have thought… that the government would’ve stepped in! And that they’d have done something about…”

“Yes. But… see? You got that guy… that Mark Martin, from WWJ . . . to get right on the case. He sure got the thing cleaned up!”

“Well, I’ve known Mark… for, a little more than a year, now, And he sure did clean it up! Cleaned it out! In fact, he was one of the principals… in having the rest of that eyesore, polluted, place torn down!”

“Yes. And… as I understand it… he was instrumental, in getting the new project started. Getting it up, and running! The financing… and all that!”

She smiled broadly. “And,” she acknowledged, “more than a few heads rolled . . . down at the county offices! He sure saw to that! He’s a good man, Mark is! And he’s not even halfway done with this thing! With that crowd . . . in the County offices, downtown.”

“Well, I was certainly impressed… with your having taken in, all those kids! Given them shelter . . . in the wake, of that horrible fire, and all. Well above and beyond the call… and all.”

“Look! I don’t know how much you’d have gone into my background . . . when you’d recommended me for this position! Something I’d never… ever . . . expected, by the bye. But, I’d…”

“Well, Mrs. Rutkowski, I don’t think I’d ever had the intention of having quite this conversation with you. Not getting into it… this deeply . . . anyway. But, with this, really-important, testimonial coming down and all, I thought that we might…”

“Clare? Clare… you’ve never called me Sheila! Why?”

“I really don’t know. I guess it was just that… after what you went and did, with those kids . . . I was just so knocked over! I mean, taking in nine kids! Nine kids, for heaven’s sake! And into your one-bedroom apartment! Those nine kids! I mean, it was…”

“Ahhhh! Four girls… in my bedroom… with me. And five boys… in the living room. Wasn’t all that bad. Nobody messed up the joint! Not really! And they ran a lot of errands for me! Never gave me a moment’s trouble. Not one of ’em! And, once I managed to get ’em all registered . . . and into school, for heaven’s sake… they weren’t around, all that much. Not all that much.”

“But, to take ’em all in! Mrs. Rutkowski… nobody, anymore, does anything like that, nowadays! Nothing . . . out of the obligated call of duty! You are the one! The one, who stepped up . . . and took those kids in.”

Listen! It was about