The Man Down on Elms Street (Volume 1)

*Mentions of Abuse/ Drug use/ Violence*

Parker sat on the steps of his home. Inside were his parents, screaming, per usual.

Beside him sat his little sister Lizzy, pressing a damp rag to her forehead, it came away with blood. Not a lot, but enough to make her cry. Parker wrapped his arm around her shoulders, whispering how it would be ok. His little brother wheeled around the cracked, overgrown driveway on his rusting scooter. Giggling at the bumps, pushing the scooter to go faster over them, rattling the wheels roughly. Mama had bought that scooter for him five years ago. Never once did she replace it when the screws started breaking or when the bar grew rusty, the scooter itself was a hazard. But did mama care? No.

Parkers twin sister walked up the drive, still in her Publix cashier clothes, a bag filled with water bottles and cans of soup in her hand. her worn shoes slapping against the concrete.

Parker stood, walking over in a somber silence to hold the bag for her. Kate gave him a weary grin, meant for someone twice her age.

Parker grimaced; no words were needed. She knew that they were fighting again, that it would be stupid to try to go inside. He set the bag down on the steps, holding a handout to help Kate sit by him. Kate frowned seeing Lizzy.

“What happened? Did she get hit? Did she fall?” she asked motioning for Lizzy to come over to her.

“Dad threw one of his bottles at the wall, Lizzy was on her way outside, a shard got her on the forehead. it’s not too bad, I hope. I couldn’t grab an icepack because mom came out with her cig and started cussing me out when I tried to go in the fridge. Now they’re fighting.” Parker explained slowly, patting Lizzy’s arm.

“Are we staying outside today? Can I go over to Mason’s?” asked Oliver who dropped his scooter, letting it clang on the ground.

Parker tilted his head giving Kate a look. She shrugged nodding.

“Yeah, just be back by dinner time.” Oliver frowned for a second, picking up his scooter, and going out into the street, pushing it along with his little legs. Parker sighed knowing he would have no idea what time to come back by. Dinner for them was varied, it could be at 5, it could be at 11 p.m. it was impossible to track.

“Well! How about a nice stroll down the road, maybe if we have enough spare change I can buy us a Hersey’s for desert tonight!” Kate said excitedly holding up an extra dollar. Parker smiled agreeing, they stood storing the bag of goods behind the stairs, tying it up good making sure nothing could get it.

Parker grabbed the rag from the ground, trying it into a circle shape, pushing it down on Lizzy’s head, covering the cut.

“There. Now you’re a warrior!” he told her, grinning as her pudgy little face glowed.

“I need a sword too!’ she cried out. Parker diligently obeyed, grabbing a stick and pulling out his pocketknife to sharpen one end. Kate stopped his giving him a plain glare.

“Really? A sharp stick for an 8-year-old? How dumb are you?” she growled out in a low voice snatching it from him and procuring it for Lizzy. Eagerly she snatched it sprinting ahead of them yelling and waving it around.

Kate laughed, looping her arm through Parkers, skipping down the street. Parker smiled despite himself, banging his hand on the street sign- Elm’s Street that is- as they passed under it.

Merrily they went on their way, only Parker thinking about what he would do for them tonight. How they would slip past their high as the sun parents and stay unnoticed in their room till the morning. When he would pick up Oliver from his friend's home, if he picked him up. Mason’s mom knew about Parker’s parents and their problems, she wouldn’t mind keeping him over the night, would she? it would mean another meal for Kate, Lizzy, and him to share while Oliver got a good homemade meal from mason’s mom. That could work.

Stuck in his own mind Parker didn’t notice Kate stopping. Soon he realized in Kate was whispering into his ear worriedly.

“Do you remember the homeless man that lives in the forest down from our house on Elms?” Parker nodded thinking of the guy who had yelled at them when he found them looking through his tent in the forest. The tent had a rifle in it, along with tons of food and knives. After that day they hadn’t dared to venture back in the forest. Parker asked why she brought it up. She pointed forward, and Parker almost laughed at the sight. The man had a stick in his hand, and was sword fighting Lizzy, a wild grin on his face.

“Oh my god. is he really- um, sword fighting Lizzy?” parker said incredulously.

Kate grabbed his arm pulling him along as he walked quickly to Lizzy who was giggling in delight at the man's playful jousting.

The man faltered in his motions as they approached, getting severely rapped by Lizzy’s stick in his break. ” Lizzy don’t hurt that man!” Kate said sternly.

The man backed up quickly raising his hands up, showing his innocence.

Parker followed Kate, standing between Kate and Lizzy and the man. Parker unconsciously pulled out his pocketknife, unsure of how to react to the man. He laughed keeping his hands up.

“Don’t worry Son, I ain’t gonna hurt you or your ladies.” he said with a smile.

Parker lowered his knife a little, “What about the gun in your tent? Why do you have a gun?”

The man bit his cheek giving Parker a look of scrutiny, “Why do you have a knife? Can a man not defend himself anymore? These streets can be dangerous at times, Elm’s isn’t a nice little subdivision filled with nosy neighbors. " Parker agreed at this, folding his pocketknife back up.

“What's your name son, why you out here with your ladies so late with no adults, I mean- unless you’re one already.” he added unsure.

“I’m not, I’m sixteen, enrolled in Stonebarrows Highschool My names Parker, and my sisters Lizzy and Kate. I have a little brother also, but he’s not here. " Parker told him with a nervous smile, there were people out here who had tried to take advantage of them before, he didn’t want a redo of that.

The man nodded, smiling at them. “Y’all look hungry, I got a bit of extra stuff at my place, you want some?”

Parker grimaced, “I wouldn’t want to-”

“It’s fine, I have enough, I won't hurt y’all. Not with such a fierce warrior around,” he said trembling as Lizzy pointed the stick at him. Kate laughed at this nudging Parker, who agreed finally, following the man into the woods.

“So, who are you?” Parker asked after a few minutes of building up his courage. They entered a small clearing, a stack of firewood in one corner- a tidy pile of trash by his tent, a small fire circled by stones in the center, the grass cleared away, only dirt around it.

“Lieutenant Chase Gates, Navy Officer. Forcibly retired from service thirteen years past, Wife left me, Kids grew up, moved to another state with their mother, one’s in the Air Force up in Colorado area, others a lawyer in Denver, Colorado. My youngest- Amelia’s working for a degree in medical school, an aspiring surgeon- never squeamish that one. Haven’t seen them in almost a decade, better that way, I would rather them remember me as a man who failed his family than a homeless man in a forest somewhere in Kansas.” he sighed out, plopping down on a log, carved into a seat.

“Answer your question?”

“Yeah, " Parker nodded.

“So… What's for dinner?” Kate asked hopefully from behind Parker who turned around to scold her.

“It’s fine Parker son,” he stood rummaging through a bag. “We’ve got beans, green beans, Black beans, Chickpea Beans, Lima, and kidney beans.” he said with a grin letting the cans tumble out.

“You have Kidneys?” Lizzy quipped with a horrified face.

Lieutenant Chase laughed at that. “Oh yes Honey, I’ve got kidneys. you want some?”

Lizzy paused at this her, little mind struggling to keep up.

Biting her lip she piped up. “Yep! I do want kidneys!” Chase nodded with a smile. “Alright, you two good with Kidneys?” Parker nodded; Kate clasped her hands together nodding serenely.

Chase dug back in another bag, pulling out a slightly rusting pot, tying a string to its handles, setting up two sticks, laying a stick on them, hanging the pot over the fire. Letting Lizzy help they poured the beans in. Chase got Lizzy to collect twigs for kindling hen, settling down on his seat.

“So, why you so quiet Parker son?” he asked calmly.

Parker looked away unable to answer right then, his anxiety trying to take over.

Kate laid a hand on his leg, stopping it from bouncing all over the place, he hadn’t even noticed it. Parker covered his face, shaking it no.

He listened to Kate explaining why to Lieutenant Chase.

“Mom and dad hit us. me and Parker are older than Oliver and Lizzy- Parker was always trying to protect me when we were younger. He would hide me in a closet, staying outside, taking moms screaming and slaps, while I sat inside safe. When dad got too drunk at the bar, he made me go out to the shed for the night to keep me from his bottle throwing fits. The only reason Mom and dad were never caught hurting him was because we live too far for an ambulance to help us. There were some nights I had to sit with Parker, making sure his heart didn’t stop. We were ten. Lizzy was a little toddler, mom cared for her a bit, she got angrier faster though when Oliver came. Parker and me-"

"Parker and I" interrupted Chase,

"Parker and I-" she amended continuing, "-had the duty of watching them most of the time. It was worse when we were younger, we had to sneak food and water, now I have a job down at Publix. it’s not much but it's something that can get us food.”

Parker calmed down then. “I’m trying to find a job that will take me and the hours I need, Kate has eleven to four, I would need two times to come in, between seven and ten, or five and midnight.” Lieutenant Chase nodded.

“You two going to school? Your little ones too?”

Kate rocked on her feet. “I had to drop out this year, the payments stopped coming, Stonebarrow doesn’t have any special ways for kids like us in our problem, if we did tell them anyways about it, CPS would be called. I’m working for Parker’s graduation right now. Oliver isn’t going right now; Lizzy just entered the third grade and is doing well enough.” Chase nodded again.

“Y’all doin’ pretty good for your situation.”

Parker smiled, “Thanks, we try.” The beans began bubbling then, Chase produced a few bowls carved out of wood, or rusting metal cups. Ladling it out with a carved spoon, he gave everyone a good portion, letting Lizzy have more for her ‘warrior strength’. sipping the cooling broth of the beans, Parker smiled, not having ate anything hot in almost a month since the electric stopped working in the house. Mom forgot the bills again. Running his tongue over his cracked lip he gulped down a few beans, taking special care not to spill any.

“How bout this.” Chase said suddenly setting his hardly touched bowl down at his feet that were shifting uneasily.

Parker glanced up to listen, Lizzy still sat on the bed of pine needles, slurping away.

“If you four ever need help with anything, I’ll be around here. Babysitting- dinner, help making something, getting a job-” he winked at Parker. “- In the meantime, I’m gonna try to work with you to figure out a way to make your parents better parents, OK?

Parker hid a smile, maybe their luck was changing for the good. Maybe Oliver would have a set dinner time, maybe Kate could get her graduation cap, go to college, buy a house. Maybe Lizzy could grow up with a closet full of costumes, all for her to choose. Maybe he could escape his mama and dad. Maybe change was possible.

Parker spoke up then, ignoring Kate’s motion to speak for him.

“I would love that, Lieutenant Chase.”