MY HOME
JACK CROW
"Great, two more mouths to feed!" The stern man glares at me as he plays with the cards in his hand, wearing a bitter smile. "As if we don’t already have too many mouths to feed around here..."
"Believe me, not for much longer," I say firmly, looking at Spook before turning my gaze to the two filthy children sitting on the wooden bench near the fire at the center of the camp. "Fredo, call Baba and ask her to bring Amelia with her."
My loyal friend nods and quickly walks away.
"I always knew you had your father's heart." My mother smiles, sitting down beside me. "Amelia’s going to be enchanted when she sees the girl."
"Has anyone stopped to think that maybe God had a reason for not letting Amelia have a child?" Spook whistles slowly, tilting his face to his shoulder and staring at me.
"Oh my God, Spook, what a horrible thing to say!" My mother looks at him with sadness. "Do you have any idea how many times I’ve seen that girl crying after a miscarriage? Her dream is to be a mother, and you should be ashamed of saying that..."
"And I am ashamed." He closes the cards, shaking his head and placing a hand on his chest. "Please, don’t think the worst of me, but sometimes someone has to say what everyone’s thinking. Dior’s a drunk, always has been, so imagine Amelia having to care for kids and an alcoholic husband..."
I stand, inhaling deeply, and walk up to him, stopping two steps from Spook.
"Who Amelia has to take care of or not is none of my business. And if she doesn’t want to take the children, they’ll still stay," I growl, narrowing my eyes. "In case you didn’t notice, I made a statement to everyone about my decision to let the kids stay — not a debate, asking for opinions."
I see the smile vanish from his lips as he presses his thin snake-like mouth together, staring at me.
"Was I clear, Spook?" I growl, stepping forward once more and watching him smile as he nods.
"Crystal clear, young man. And you’re right, it was the best decision." He chuckles, softening his expression. "It was foolish of me to worry. You’re as wise as your father, your mother’s right. I just forget sometimes that my great friend is no longer here needing my advice. I’m sorry if I was out of line."
He lowers his head, smiling at me before looking at my mother and extending his hand to take hers, placing a kiss on the back like a fake snake ready to strike. Then he walks away, distancing himself from us.
"Don’t be so cruel to Spook, Jack..." my mother says, sighing beside me once we’re alone. "He was just trying to give advice. As much as I admire what you’ve done, deep down, I have to agree with some of his words. Dior is drinking more and more every day."
"You’re agreeing with that fake snake?" I turn my face to look at her.
"Not in everything, my love," my mother sighs, shaking her head. "I just think maybe she should stay with us. I could teach her a few tricks. I was your father’s stage assistant for a long time, remember? And she could learn much more from me than from Amelia, for example..."
"I’m sure of it." I smile at the sad look in my mother’s eyes.
"It’ll be nice to have company, someone to care for, since my boy no longer needs my care now that he’s grown." I kneel beside her, holding her hand and rubbing it against my cheek.
"Now, I’ll take care of you, Mother," I say, watching her. "Just as I’ll take care of everyone, like Dad did."
"I never doubted that." She smiles tenderly at me. "But be more patient with Spook. Your father liked him and used to say he gave good advice — he just needed a little filtering..."
I inhale deeply, standing up, without telling her what I really think of Spook or what I plan to do before we leave Louisiana. I turn to face the children sitting and laughing with Lisbet, who plays
with them, performing little magic tricks.
"Who do you think you are, kid..."
"I think that at twenty-one, I don't look much like a kid anymore, Spook," I reply, walking between the train cars, checking that everything is ready for departure.
"When you were still shitting in your filthy diapers, boy, your father and I were stuffing our pockets with money..."
"Great. I hope you saved up a good amount of that money, because you’re going to need it for your retirement." I open the door at the end of the train, jumping off the car and looking at the tracks. "Your payment is set aside in my car. I’ll give you your cash, and at the next stop, I want your ass out of my circus."
I lift my head, staring at him, seeing his half-closed mouth and the bulging vein in his neck as he points at me with his index finger.
"You're making a mistake, boy. A mistake you'll regret..."
"Are you threatening me, Torres?" I take a step forward, and he lowers his hand, growling low and shaking his head.
"I'm just telling you the truth."
I stay silent, watching him turn and walk away angrily, cursing under his breath. The train door opens, and I spot Fredo, watching me curiously.
"So, how did the magician take the news?" He leans against the metal railing.
"Exactly like a whore when she realizes she won’t get the whole night to bleed the idiot dry and just gets her pay and a shove off the street," I reply, laughing, with Fredo’s loud laughter joining mine.
"I wish I had seen the face of that snake getting kicked out," he says between laughs.
We prepare ourselves as the sound of the train whistle blares, and the locomotive begins to move slowly. I stretch out my arm, grabbing the railing and climbing onto the train. I watch the landscape fade behind us, remembering how, in these moments, my father was always close by. The two of us would stand in the last car, just like I am now, laughing, getting ready for the next show.
I miss him. I miss him deeply, especially in these moments that were ours alone.
"JACK, THE ROPES ON CAR THREE CAME LOOSE—"
The shout from one of the guys makes me look up to the top of the car.
I stretch out my arm, grabbing the metal ladder running up the side of the car and climbing to the top.
"I’ll be right back."
I smile at Fredo, holding tightly to the ladder as I climb, the wind slamming into my face as the train picks up speed.
I stand up, walking across the top of the car. When I reach the top, I see one of the ropes that secures the metal bars holding the circus tarp swinging freely in the air. I head for it, knowing that if the ropes aren’t properly tied, it could cause the train to derail—leading to a serious accident.
I crouch, moving quickly, aware of every step I take, because I’ve spent my whole life walking on top of these train cars with my father. I leap from one car to the next, stopping when I reach the third. I crouch to grab the rope and tie it, gripping it tightly—but I’m confused when I see its end has been cut. I know Belmonte—he's the one who ties these down—and his knots never come undone.
"Why was the rope cut..." I mutter, suspicious.
"Something wrong?" Dior’s loud voice, Amelia’s husband, comes from behind me.
"Someone cut the ropes..." I say, standing and turning to him.
"I know." His words make me stop and look at him, confused as to why he would do something so reckless—it could cost everyone on this train their lives.
"What the fuck were you thinking, Dior?!" I yell, not just to be heard over the wind, but because of the rage boiling inside me.
"Sorry, kid. It's nothing personal." Belmonte’s hand grips my shoulder as he drives a knife into my back.
I scream as I feel the blade sink into my flesh.
"Just business, Jack!" My fingers grasp Dior’s arm as he delivers another blow to my stomach.
I stumble forward, collapsing onto the metal beams, blood pouring from me as they pull their knives from my body. I turn, staring at the men I grew up with, who were like family, brothers in heart—but now they're holding knives dripping with my blood.
"You should’ve chosen me as your friend, Jack." The disgusting voice makes me lift my head and stare at Spook. "You would've done much better being my friend than my enemy, boy. Your father learned that truth the hard way too..."
I blink, dazed, feeling the blood draining from me as his words sink into my pain-clouded mind. My father died of a heart attack—the doctors said his heart stopped while he slept. But looking at Spook, hearing his words, I realize that wasn’t true.
"You killed my father..." I lunge forward, arm outstretched toward Spook.
But Dior stops me, locking his arm around my neck. I roar in rage, my heart burning with pain and fury, as hot as the train’s furnace driving the locomotive faster on the tracks.
"You killed my father, you murderer..."
"No, he killed himself." Spook shakes his head, locking eyes with mine and stepping closer. "He chose his end when he decided to go against me, when he refused the chance I gave him to save the last shred of dignity this damned circus had left—because he was too noble to dirty his hands, like I did..."
He laughs, shaking his head, looking down at me with superiority. Spook is a filthy worm who never deserved my father’s trust—just like those two traitors never deserved mine.
"I’ll kill you, you snake... I’ll rip your head from your body..."
"No, you won’t, my boy..." My mouth opens and I feel my guts being shredded by the third stab, this one from Spook. "Send my regards to your father—and tell him I’ll take very good care of your mother."
"SON OF A BITCH..." I roar through pain and fury, watching him laugh.
"We're on the bridge. Throw him off." He nods at Dior, who pulls the knife from my body. "Out with the old, in with the new\... or out with the new, in with the old..."
I don’t have time, I can’t even hold on before my body is thrown
from the train—embraced by the darkness as I’m swallowed by the cold river water.
