Quick As A Mongoose - 3. Back On His Feet - 2/4/2016

The cone of light did little to fight the oppressive darkness of the overcast night sky, nor did it dispel the chill surrounding Alexander Perron as he stepped around the freight car. It was fall, and the weather was definitely beginning to shift; it was a bad time to be a security guard at the Hamilton Freight Yards, but at least the pay was nice.

Alexander raised his flashlight and pointed it between the two closest rail cars. His boss had found graffiti on one of the cars in the maintenance yard that morning, and he’d been livid. As soon as Alexander had arrived at work, he’d been told that he had to be more vigilant, and if any more graffiti appeared on his watch without the culprit being apprehended, Alexander would be looking for another job.

That was a prospect Alexander didn’t want to face. He had enough time looking for work as it was, considering the list he was on. No one trusted a man on the sex offender registry, even if the only reason he was on it was for pissing in a public park when there were children nearby. He’d been eighteen, and hadn’t even thought about it until the cop tackled him to the ground and handcuffed him.

In the end, he’d only had to pay a fine and didn’t do any time, but the judge had forced him to register. That ruling had made Alexander’s life hell for the past eight years. He was often accused of being a rapist, a child molester, or any range of sexual deviancies. Finding a job was difficult, and he simply couldn’t afford to lose this one.

He heard clattering movement down the line and spun around quickly, just in time to catch the hind leg of a cat as it disappeared under one of the broken cars. He sighed and continued forward, returning to his slow inspection of the cars. It had been three hours since the beginning of his shift, and there still hadn’t been any sign of the vandal.

And then he heard it, the distant rattling of a can of spray paint. He sprinted down the line of train cars, slowing down only for a moment as he hopped the rails to make sure he didn’t trip, then sprinted again as he continued toward the source of the sound. His quarry heard him coming and the rattling became louder as the vandal took off running.

But Alexander knew the train yard much better than the vandal, and he cut him off just at the edge of the maintenance yard, illuminating the black hoodie and blue jeans of the man running away from him. Alexander urged his legs to move faster, and with a surge of adrenaline he caught up to the man and tackled him to the shallow gravel just outside the gate to the yard.

“Stop struggling!” Alexander ordered as he pulled out a pair of handcuffs. He was a strong man, but the form struggling beneath him was a handful. It took almost a minute to get his hands restrained, and only then did Alexander begin to relax. He drew his taser from his belt and said, “If you don’t want to get shocked, I suggest you only do as I say.”

He stood up, and the man stayed on the ground, unmoving. Now that the situation was finally under some semblance of control, Alexander took the time to analyze the man he’d just captured. He wasn’t what Alexander had expected at all. Long and unwashed brown hair hung messily around his dirty face. He had a number of open sores on his face as well, and a couple of scrapes from where his face had slid against the gravel beneath him. His hoodie was old and frayed at the sleeves, and the front pocket was falling apart. The blue jeans he wore had seen a similar amount of use, and had several small holes in the back, and a large one in either knee. If Alexander were to venture a guess, he’d assume the man was his same age, and not some punk teenager as he’d expected to find.

The spray paint can had rolled away during their struggle, but Alexander walked toward it now and nudged it with his foot, feeling it was empty. Something wasn’t right about this situation.

“What’s your name?” Alexander asked in a flat tone. When he didn’t receive a response he tried again, a bit more gently. “Please, tell me your name. It doesn’t have to be your real one, but I’d rather have something to call you.”

The man hesitated, but after a moment he said quietly, “Kyle.”

“All right, Kyle, here’s what’s going to happen,” Alexander continued, walking back toward Kyle. “We’re going to go to the security office, and you’re going to tell me where all the graffiti you’ve done, is, then we’ll talk about what we’re going to do about that.”

“I haven’t done any graffiti, sir,” Kyle said. It wasn’t defiant or angry, but a simple statement of fact, and the tone gave Alexander pause.

“Stand up,” Alexander commanded. Kyle stood slowly, rising on shaky knees and almost toppling over before he managed to make it to his feet. He held his head up with a certain pride which Alexander found admirable. “If you didn’t do the graffiti, why do you have the paint can?”

Kyle hesitated, but after a moment his eyes dropped and he said, “Someone gave it to me, sir. I was going to use it to get high, if only for a second. It’s cold out, and I wanted to feel warm, even if it wasn’t real.”

Alexander sighed. He knew somehow that Kyle was telling the truth, which meant the real vandal was still out there. Of course, there was still the problem of Kyle, who was at best trespassing on private property. After taking another look at Kyle, however, Alexander couldn’t help but feel for him. He’d been exactly where Kyle was, before.

“Are you homeless, Kyle?” Alexander asked, not sure if he’d receive a straight answer. “My name is Alexander, by the way, so you can stop calling me ‘sir’.”

“Um,” Kyle said nervously, then apparently made a decision about Alexander’s character and said with more confidence, “Yeah, I am. I’d really rather not be arrested. You’re not going to call the cops, are you?”

Alexander shook his head and replied, “No, I’m not. But before I take the handcuffs off, there’s something I’d like your help with. I’ll make it worth your while.”

Kyle’s head leaned to the side with interest as he waited for Alexander to continue, and seeing this new development, Alexander was quick to oblige. “I want you to help me catch the person who gave you this paint can. I assume it’s the same person who painted one of our cars last night.”

“He was going to paint another one tonight,” Kyle said, nodding. “Then he realized he was out of paint and left to get another can. That’s when I asked him for that one.”

Alexander nodded and said, “Then we have the perfect opportunity to catch him. Think you’d be willing to help me?”

“What’s in it for me?” Kyle asked skeptically. “I don’t normally turn in people who’ve helped me out.”

“Yeah, I get that you want to be loyal. It’s commendable, really,” Alexander said with a grin, but then the smile faded as he continued in a serious tone. “But if I don’t catch this guy, I’m going to be fired, and I can’t afford to lose my job right now. I can do a lot for you, blankets, a place to sleep, or even some money if that’s what you need, but not if I lose my job.”

Kyle thought the matter over for a minute but then started nodding. “All right, I’ll do it. Let me show you where he’s been sneaking in. It’s the same point I use.”

“Perfect,” Alexander replied as he holstered his taser and approached Kyle with the key to the handcuffs. “I’m eager to get this over with.”

~    ~    ~    ~    ~

“Benny,” Kyle whispered as the teenager approached the fence. The young teen whipped around, eyes wild until he settled his gaze on Kyle standing in the shadows. “Benny, do you have any more cans?”

“Not tonight, Kyle,” Benny replied, “But I can bring you something better tomorrow, if you’ve got some cash.”

“Benny, I can’t afford it, I just need something,” Kyle said. “Can’t you just spare a can?”

“Maybe when I’m done, Kyle,” Benny replied. “But I already came here twice, and I need to paint. Gotta leave my mark for these bastards. These fuckers fired my dad two months ago, and I’m not gonna let that slide. I’m gonna paint my name on every car in this god damn place!”

“No you’re not,” Alexander said as he stepped up behind Benny. “What you’re going to do is come with me until we get a chance to talk to the authorities. They’ll decide what to do with you.”

Benny looked from Alexander to Kyle and said accusatorily, “Kyle, did you rat me out? I thought we were buddies.”

“Alexander, can’t you cut the boy some slack?” Kyle pleaded, looking at the security guard with an expression of regret. “Maybe you could work out a deal and punish him some other way. He shouldn’t get a mark on his record just because he was trying to honor his dad.”

“Shouldn’t he?” Alexander asked, but then thought about the words as soon as they’d left his mouth. He knew what it was like to have a record for something done without thinking, and there had really been very little done. The train cars were relatively easy to clean, and Benny had really only ever gotten to one of them. “Maybe you’re right, Kyle. It’s not that big of a deal, but I will have to call my boss at least. I’ll see what I can do for him, though.” He turned to Benny and asked, “Who was your dad? You said he used to work here?”

Benny crossed his arms over his chest and said, “Yeah, he was one of the repairmen here at the maintenance yard. Did twice the work everyone else did, but when he went out with the flu, they canned him. Just like that.”

“You’re Jim’s boy?” Alexander asked with surprise. “I owe Jim a couple favors, and I’ll definitely do what I can to make sure you’re all right, but I still have to bring you in. I’d prefer if you’d come easily, but if I have to . . .”

Benny rolled his eyes and said, “Yeah, yeah, you’ll have to tase me. All right, let’s get this over with.” He then looked back at Kyle and said, “If this guy calls the cops, I’m not going to forgive you, Kyle. This isn’t over, yet.”

“I’m sorry, Benny,” Kyle replied, shaking his head solemnly. “I had to. It was the right thing to do.”

Alexander nodded Benny through the gate and said, “Come on, let’s go call my boss and your dad. We’ll get this straightened out, one way or another.”

~    ~    ~    ~    ~

It took less than an hour to get everything straightened out. Even though it was the middle of the night, both Alexander’s boss and Jim, Benny’s father, arrived rather quickly. Jim had made it clear how disappointed he was in his son’s actions, and that he’d be happy to submit Benny to whatever punishment deemed necessary.

Alexander’s boss listened to it all quietly, and then made his decision. Benny would come and clean all the cars in the maintenance yard, starting with the one he’d vandalized. After that, there’d be no further trouble as long as Benny promised to stay off the property. But that hadn’t been the last word the boss had delivered.

Jim left on the verge of tears, his emotional state brought on the by job offer Alexander’s boss had made. He’d been out of work since the maintenance foreman had fired him, and they’d nearly run out of money as bills were piling up. Alexander’s boss had then offered him the open security guard position, and Jim had jumped at the chance. It was a chance at a new life and a new means of taking care of his family; Alexander understood, and was glad things were looking up for Jim.

The exchange reminded Alexander of one more thing he had to take care of, and as he watched his boss and Jim walk out into the night to say their goodbyes, Alexander turned to Kyle who’d been waiting just outside the office.

“Thanks for your help,” Alexander said with a genuine grin. “I owe you, now.”

Kyle shrugged and replied, “Nah, it was the right thing to do. Besides, just being inside and out of the cold is payment enough. I suppose I have to go back out there now, though. Your boss probably wouldn’t let me stay here.”

“No, probably not,” Alexander replied, “At least not without me here. But I’ll do you one better. How’d you like to sleep in a real bed? Maybe get a hot shower? A chance to get back on your feet?”

Kyle looked up at him, perplexed at the series of questions. “What are you talking about?”

Alexander laughed and said, “Well, I’ve got a spare room in my apartment that my brother sometimes uses when he comes to stay, and the shower’s normally hot unless the landlord refuses to fix the water heater. As for getting back on your feet, you okay washing dishes?”

Kyle’s eyes lit up like he’d just won the lottery. “You bet I am!” He said enthusiastically, “But why are you willing to do that for me?”

Alexander shrugged and replied, “Sometimes we all need a little help every now and then. I only have one more question for you, cause you see, the place where you’ll be washing dishes is a bit . . . different.”

“Oh?” Kyle asked.

Alexander grinned and asked, “How do you feel about mimes?”