Page 3 of Her Hidden Smile

I needed to get away from them.

“Renzo what, honey?”

I shrugged my shoulders and winced. Where was he? I looked behind her, but all I saw was the big man’s legs behind the lady.

She squatted down, her flowery skirt flowing around her so it was touching the ground.

“Don’t be afraid. Are you lost? Where’s your Mama? Where’s your Papa?”

She brushed back my long, greasy hair from my grimy forehead and I forced myself not to cry. The last time someone touched me so nice had been before I was forced into the orphanage. Back when my grandmother was alive.

She turned her head and looked up at the big man. “I don’t think he’s lost, Christos. I’m worried he doesn’t have anyone.”

I looked up at him, too.

“Sharon, we can’t save everyone,” he said in a kind voice.

“But we need to at least get him something to eat. Maybe a⁠—”

Izan slammed his head into the nice lady’s side, and she actually lifted up before she crashed down onto the cobblestones.

“Sharon!” the big man yelled as he slid on his knees to cradle her in his arms.

I looked over and saw her purse was gone. My job was done. But I couldn’t leave her. She was bleeding. I stood over her.

The man looked up at me. “Get the police. We need an ambulance.”

I nodded my head without thinking.

“Renzo!” It was Luis shouting. “Time to go.”

The big man’s eyes darkened with fury. He realized what I’d done.

“Policia!” he yelled. A couple of tourists stopped, but they would be of no help. I knew where the policia were. I ran like my feet were on fire and found the two men who guarded the other side of the cathedral. I told them what happened. They were talking on their radio for an ambulance as they followed, then passed me by to get to the lady and the man.

When I almost made it to them, I was grabbed so hard by my arm, something popped in my shoulder. I looked up, expecting it to be the man, but it was Izan.

“You rat. You’re going to turn us all in, aren’t you?”

I was so scared, I couldn’t speak. He swung me by my useless arm. I couldn’t stifle my scream. He punched me in my face, still holding me by my arm so I couldn’t fall to the ground. He punched me again. Then he pulled out his knife.

“We don’t have time,” Luis muttered as he pulled me away from Izan. “If you kill him, then they’ll come after us. They won’t pay any attention to a street rat, but a dead street rat they might do something about.”

“I,” Izan dropped me to the ground.

“Don’t,” Izan kicked me in the face.

“Care,” Izan bent down with his knife.

“You better start caring,” a man bellowed. His fist was as big as my head, and it circled Izan’s wrist. He held Izan a foot off the ground.

“Here he is. This is the kid who hurt my wife.” The big man shook Izan like he was a puppy. I couldn’t see Luis or Jorge. One of the policia that I had brought to help came over and grabbed Izan.

“We’re going to need another ambulance for this kid,” the man said as he squatted over me.

“They were probably in it together,” the second policia said, then spit on the ground.

The big man looked at me for a long time. “No, I don’t think so. He was just a beggar who was at the wrong place at the wrong time.”