Sleepers Page #4

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I'm frying like an egg up here. I say, we get some buttered rolls,

a couple of cold sodas, and head down to the docks.

Can't you feel the breeze up here?

What breeze? We're surrounded by a wall, genius!

The devil couldn't stand this heat.

Will you guys shut up, please?

I'm trying to get my burn.

It's degrees!

-There's some breeze up here. -It's a hot breeze.

We haven't hit the hot dog vendor in a couple of weeks.

I don't know, Mikey. That cart guy ain't like the others.

I mean, he gets pretty pissed, like crazy when you try to take him off.

We can eat hot dogs... or we can eat air...choose.

Air is probably safer, Mike.

Yeah, a hot dog ain't worth bleeding over, Mikey.

Yeah, anyway, whose turn is it?

Yours!

-Yeah, it's yours. -Mine? It's not my turn.

-Yes, it is! -I went like last month.

-He went two weeks. -You never went.

-Last month. -Are you nuts? I went right after him.

I'm not going.

-Why? -It's too hot.

If I walk down the stairs, I'll pass out.

Mustard and onions. No soda.

I know you!

I look like a lot of people.

The scam was simple.

I was to walk up to the hot dog vendor and order what I wanted.

The vendor would then hand me my hot dog and watch as I ran off without paying.

This left the vendor with two choices, neither very appealing.

He could stand his ground and swallow his loss, or he could give chase.

The second forces him to abandon the cart...

...where my friends could feast in his absence.

I'm gonna need two napkins?

Pay my money, thief!

Wow! Ketchup!

I took it from him and ran!

I scooted past Tommy Mug's Dry Cleaners and Armond's Shoe Repair.

The vendor gave chase, a wooden- handled, pronged fork in one hand.

You gonna give me two?

You know, these things are heavier than they look.

Genius, it's the gas tanks to keep the food hot.

They're heavier than sh*t!

Think we can push it, the three of us?

Push it where?

A couple of blocks. It'll be a nice surprise for the guy...

...when he comes back from chasing Shakes, not to find his cart.

The vendor tired at th and th.

I was on the other side of the street.

He was beat...but not beaten.

He could go ten minutes more, just on hate alone.

Give it up.

What's wrong, Mikey?

Shakes is taking too long. He should've been back by now.

He'll be fine. He's Shakes.

You guys were supposed to take the hot dogs, not the wagon.

-Now he tells us. -He's coming fast, Mikey.

He still near?

I got a plan! Come on over by the subway!

The plan was as simple and as dumb as anything we had ever done.

We were to hold the cart on the top edge of the stairwell,

Leaning it downward, and wait for the vendor.

We were to let it go the second he grabbed the handles.

Then we'd leave the scene as he struggled to ease the cart back onto the sidewalk.

To this day, I don't know why we did it.

But, we would all pay a price.

It only took a minute...but in that minute...everything changed.

Guys, I can't hold it!

-Don't let go! -I can't hold it!

I can't hold it!

Stop! God, no! !

Damn!

Sweet Jesus! What have you boys done?

What in the name of God have you boys done?

I think we just killed a man.

While James Caldwell was slowly recovering at St. Clare's Hospital...

...we were charged and remanded into our parents' custody.

I'm sorry, dad.

'Sorry' ain't gonna do you much good.

Take it easy! This is no time to get crazy!

You're going to jail and you don't even know what the f*** that means!

Ma! Come look, Ma!

I don't know. Bastard!

He's just a kid! He shouldn't have to do time!

Nobody in this family should have to do time. I done enough time for everybody!

I hear you're short an altar boy.

You still remember what to do?

Easy on the water, heavy on the wine.

And ring the bells whenever I see someone start to nod off.

Get ready...we got minutes till show time.

I'm gonna miss this.

I'm gonna miss all of this.

I've been doing all I can, but so far every door I touch is locked.

I could run...we all could run.

Disappear for a while.

Nobody's gonna come looking.

Nobody's gonna care about us... about where we go.

You run now, you're gonna run till you die.

Hiding's not gonna make it go away. People aren't gonna forget.

You've gotta face this.

I can't, Father.

I don't want to face it.

I'm too scared to face it.

I'm scared, too.

Nobody's more scared than I am, but you gotta do it.

You're gonna be okay. You're gonna make it through there.

You understand?

Come on. We got an audience.

I counted three rummies and four widows on my way in.

Plus Fat Ralphie sleeping one off in the last row.

It's the rain. Bad weather always brings in the crowds.

This is one of my favorites.

What is?

"Whatever you do to the least of my brethren...you do to me."

Come on.

We never saw the vendor as a man...

...not the way we saw other men of the neighborhood.

And we didn't care enough about him to grant him any respect.

We gave little notice to how hard he worked, or that he had a wife...

...and two kids in Greece and hoped to bring them to this country.

We didn't pay attention to the long hours he worked.

We didn't see any of that. We only saw a free lunch.

Thomas Marcano, the court hereby sentences you to be remanded...

...for a period of no more than months, no less than year...

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