Chapter Twenty-Seven

Here we go with the next Chapter of Lost and Found.

I did do some fun stuff over my birthday — went to my favorite restaurant here in Centerville, Flavors. I just love going there. The owners, Rich and Elaine, are phenomenal people. The atmosphere is great — not at all typical for restaurants. It’s kind of like sitting down with a big family. Patrons talk with each other — the owners come out and gab with everyone — and the food — well, suffice it to say the name of place is perfect — everything is loaded with “flavor”. Also went to a Mystery Theater performance with two of our friends — it was fun — the acting was mediocre — but it was a fun evening. Finally, did have a great evening with our next door neighbors, Adam and Nicole. Wonderful people, fantastic neighbors and a great meal. Plus, Adam and I share the same birth date — not the same year, though.

Okay, I’ll shut up so you can get to reading.

Be well — be in peace,

Ron Rink
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My street-fighting training sessions with Billy continued all through the winter. I knew I was getting stronger and more confident all the time, plus I was growing to the point where I was nearly as big as Billy. We spent many hours talking about running away from home and how to do it without getting caught every time. Those conversations usually started whenever I would show up at the bowling alley with bruises or swelling on my face and arms.

“One of the reasons I keep getting caught,” I was explaining to Billy, “is because I have to get from wherever I’m hanging out during the day to wherever I’m going to sleep at night. Every time I got caught it was because the cops knew about me and they spotted me riding my bike after dark. I was also riding on main streets. So, I think I need to stay on the side streets where they won’t be driving around so much.”

“Yeah,” Billy said, “There’s a couple of guys with the Dukes who are runaways and they stay as invisible as they can all the time.”

I thought about that for a minute and said, “When the weather’s warmer I ride the bus to Highland Park or Hamtramck and sneak into garages and sleep in people’s cars. But the cops still manage to find me sooner or later and make me go home again.”

Billy nodded and said, “I think the main reason you’re getting caught is because you’re still pretty young and the cops can spot younger kids easier than someone who’s older. If people see a kid your age wandering around and they don’t know who it is, they’re gonna call the cops on you.”

Billy stopped to light a cigarette and went on, “Another thing to think about is if the cops get tired of you running away all the time, they might put you into reform school instead of just making you go home. I know a couple of guys who’ve been in there and they didn’t like it at all!”

I had never thought about the possibility of having to go to reform school. I didn’t know much about it but I didn’t think I would care to be in there.

Billy was quiet for a little longer, took another drag off his smoke, ground it out and then added, “And you know, you don’t think about what you have to do to stay out of sight. When you don’t show up for dinner, your old man and old lady are gonna call the cops right away, especially now that you already did this a few times. So you gotta make yourself invisible right away.”

I knew Billy was right but I was still struggling with how I could make it happen.

“So, how do I make myself invisible?” I asked. “I still have to get from one place to the next. I don’t have any one place where I can stay.”

Billy got the same look on his face he got when he was going to teach me something. I don’t think he knew it, but he reminded me of what a teacher in school looked like when they were really into whatever they were talking about. His face sort of changed from his tough, street-fighter look, into, what I would imagine was what an older brother would look like.

He said, “Before you ever step out in any street, you gotta check to make sure there ain’t no cops around. If you see a cop car, you gotta get outta sight right away. It’s sort of like you have to pretend you just robbed a store or something, and you don’t want to get caught.”

I nodded as I thought about what it would feel like to rob a store.

Billy went on to say, “You gotta learn to stay in the alleys and behind the stores. Use the vacant lots to get from one street to another and find guys who’ll hide you in their basements or garages.”

We stayed quiet for several minutes and Billy lit another cigarette.

I said, “Yeah, and I gotta figure out how I’m gonna make it when the weather gets cold. So far, all I’ve done is take off in the summer.”

Billy was nodding his head and scratching his neck. He looked at me through the smoke coming from his cigarette and said, “Don’t forget, when the weather gets cold you’re gonna have to learn how to steal food and clothes, too. Those guys living on the streets have to be smart not to get caught. But, you ain’t like most little kids anymore. You’re learning how to fight good and you’re smart enough.”

I knew Billy was right about everything he said. I also knew I wasn’t ready to try to run away during the winter. I still had a lot to learn. I had to keep learning how to be a good fighter so I could defend myself on the streets if I needed to. I had to learn how to keep from starving. If I was going to run away for good, I had to learn how to keep from freezing in the colder months. I realized I would have to learn how to steal food and money, especially in the winter. Running away in the summer worked for me because I could work at the track to have enough money for food, and find places to sleep. The Victory Gardens were also there for the picking. But the track closed down during the winter. If I was on the streets, I couldn’t work at the bowling alley. I needed to find other ways to get money. I needed to get some friends I could count on to help me when I needed it.

It was this kind of thinking that started me on the path to becoming a member of the State Fair Dukes street gang.
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