The Rat House

THE RAT HOUSE

Sitting in the burnt out movie theater the two 12 year olds were reminiscing about old times in the ‘Rat House’, the Gem Theater. Ashcan and Dippy were swapping stories ‘Back in the good old daze’. The year was 1953 and the Boston Braves National League baseball team had decided to leave Boston, Ash and I were members of the Knothole Gang. We paid a dollar for a Membership card and got into all games free.

“Hey Ash, did you see the paper? The Braves are leaving Boston? No more Sphan and Sain and a day of rain?”

“Yea, Warren Sphan and Johnny Sain were quite a pair but I think ‘I’ll really miss Sam Jethrow getting hit off the head with ball even more”, says Paul.

“I heard black guys have harder skulls; that’s why you can’t knock em out? Maybe if he puts the glove on his head he’ll catch em all. That is until the lumps get in the way”.

“He, he, you friggen Dippy, your nuts. This wine is great how did you get the key?”

“I tolja, I’m an Alter boy and I work at the church so I know the whole layout.”

“It scared the shit outta me when Fadder Mac showed up, I thought we wuz gonna get excommunicated?”

“Naw, I heard he was an Alchey and they wuz gonna farm him out. You know where they send Priests who are screw ups? I really believe he knew exactly what we wuz doing. He must have been in quite a few Jackpots himself so he let us slide.”

“He seems like an asshole?”

“He’s the only priest my father ever liked maybe because my Dad’s a drinker too?”

“Ya like us, brothers in da bottle? We’re really gonna miss the Rat House, a lot of good times, for dimes.”

“Yep, you couldn’t beat nine cents for the movies. When my mother couldn’t afford the money, I used to cash a couple of tonic bottles, a nickel a piece.”

“It was great when you were a little short and the kids would pass the pennies back so other kids could get in”, Paul recalled.

“Really I don’t remember that I always got screwed. I had to bring my baby sister and she always cried for candy.”

“Is that why she was so fat? She looks great today.”

“I thought it was sweets but she was sick with some strange disease, my Aunt saved her life with a blood transfusion.”

The wine was causing the boys to mellow out as Dick drifted into the candy for his sister_ _ _ _ “Oh my God, what was that?” The women whispered as something brushed her leg under the seat. “Pull your legs up kids, this place gives me the creeps; put them on the seat in front of you, like this.”

In the darkness of the old Gem Theater, I’m crawling under the seats trying to reach for another treasure, a dropped piece of candy for the ransom. My day started as most every other day preparing to run myself ragged with the gang. After a wild morning of aggressive running and wrestling; I rush home for lunch. It’s Saturday and we’re all going to the movies.

“Ma, you said I could go the movies this afternoon. The kids are waiting for me.”

“Now Dickie Darling, I need you to do me a favor.”

‘Oh no, not again,’ I’m thinking.

“I want you to take your little sister, Honey to the show?”

“Ma, its not fair; where’s Billy? I took her the last two weeks and she cries all the time.”

“She better not cry and you better not tease her again; or you know what?”

“What”, I stupidly ask trying to get her angry enough to think, my brother will take better care of her?

“You’ll get the licking of your life and you’ll never go to the movies again.”

“You said that last week; isn’t it Billy’s turn?”

“We don’t take turns in this house; we do what’s asked of us because we love each other, right?”

Dejectedly now I respond, “Yes Mommie.” I know I love my baby sister and I need to help you taking care of her because she’s sick. Fat is more like it.

“Here’s twenty five cents, the movie cost nine cents each; that will give you seven cents for candy, that’s enough for the two of you.”

‘She’s right,’ I’m thinking if I bought my favorite; Bonomo’s Chocolate Drops I could have thirty five pieces. Honey always cries for mint juleps’ and you only get three to a pack; that’s only twenty one pieces. As soon as we get outside I start teasing, “I’m taking you to the movies and you better sit still; don’t move unless I tell you, you understand?”

“You’re not the boss; Mommy’s the boss.”

“Mommy said I’m baby sitting you; that means I’m the boss.” Dick now runs ahead and yells back, “See you at the movie’s, you can be your own boss, brat.” He darts behind one of the two huge elm trees in the middle of the playground and hides not responding to his sisters’ cries.

“Dickie where are you; I’m telling mommy?”

Silence.

“Dickie”, now Honey’s starting to panic, the little rolly, polly, waddles faster; “I know you’re behind the tree.” As she walks behind, I keep circling ahead of her just out of sight. Round and round we go, churning the butter when finally she believes I’ve run away on her; she starts crying again.

“He, he, he,” I’m snickering, suppressing my glee.

“I’m telling mommy you ran away from me.”

“Haa Rah, here I am, I was just fooling around.” I jump out feeling my tease is working; a little at a time. She’s going to pay for my prison sentence. We’re too close to home; leaving me no choice. We haven’t left the interior of the projects, yet; she knows where she is and can see her way home. Wait till we cut through the Project building onto Maverick St.; all the buildings look the same and the maze will confuse her. Now on Maverick St. we pass the Holy Redeemer Church, I dart down the stairs to the lower sanctuary, Honey has no idea where I’ve gone and I watch her squirm and fidget trying to pretend; she’s not afraid.

“Dickie, where are you?” she cries, “You better stop or I’m telling Mommy.”

“He,he, he,” go ahead tubby, you look like little Lulu from the newspaper cartoons. “I’m over here; I tripped and I can’t get up.” As she tries to engineer the stairs I run along a high stone wall near the convent trying to circle around and get in front of her. Some one yells from a closed screened in porch; it’s a woman’s voice, “What are you children doing there? You’re not allowed back here; you’ll get hurt.” Stopped dead in my tracks I’m looking but I can’t see anyone. Honey starts crying, “I can’t find my brother, he’s supposed to be babysitting me and he keeps running away.”

“Shhh, shhh, here I am.” I jump out from behind the bushes. “ I was right here all the time. I wouldn’t leave you. I was only kidding; what’s the matter can’t you take a joke.”

Suddenly there’s a huge Penguin standing in front of me. I jump back, startled. “Who are you? Where did you come from? Are you getting married or something?” I remembered seeing some guys in a wedding with all black and white suits with bow ties something like see was wearing but she was strange; her head was caged.

“I’m Sister Mary Joseph and you are very observant. I am getting married. I’m marrying God. I am called a Nun. Our order is the Sisters of Notre Dame. We girls live in this house called a convent and we are all preparing to marry God when we die.”

“None of what,” I ask innocently?

“What’s your name little boy and is this cutie your sister?”

“I’m Dickie Dailey,”

“You mean Richard, don’t you?”

“Well Mommy calls me, Dickie.”

“Are you William’s brother?”

“Ya, how did you know that?”

“You mean yes, don’t you?”

“Ya, I mean yes; how do you know I was Williams brother; are you a physic like Nostradamus or something?”

She lets that one slide; to deep for his boots. “William is in the first grade and I’m his teacher. What’s your sister’s name?”

“Dotty, we call her Honey.”

“You mean, Dorothy, don’t you, Richard?”

Richard, that sounds funny, no one ever calls me Richard. Why is she asking so many questions doesn’t she know we’ll be late for the movies. “Can we go now we’re going to be late?”

“Where are you children going?”

“To the movies,” Honey responds.

“Well what brings you back here; I thought you came to Church with your Mother.”

Oh, oh now I’m in big trouble; my mother told me not to talk to strangers. I’m now getting nervous; “We gotta go.” Mom will surly know now, all grownups tattletale.

“Well Richard since you are such a big boy. I can tell you are a good boy. I just know you were not teasing your sister to make her cry; were you?”

Here it comes, the lie factory; oh well I’ll never see her again; she’ll be going back to the North Pole soon.

“Oh no, I love my little sister, don’t I Honey? Come on let’s run, where going to be late, bye lady Joseph.”

I’m now thinking, I never saw any hair, why would a girl have a man’s name, Joseph? Was she a man in a girl’s suit? Well she was nice anyway. Crossing the street we pass Sam’s variety store on the corner of Havre Street. Billy and I had to hide here when being chased by the gang when we first moved into the projects. We pass Martino’s meat market and go around the corner to Paris Street. There is a Chinese laundry on the corner.

“Honey I want you to do what I do when we pass this Laundry, watch? Show your teeth, with a big smile; bigger, good. Now take your finger and make believe you have tooth paste on it, like this.” I rub my clenched teeth rapidly with my extended finger. “That’s it, now as we pass the store, do it in the window so the people can see you.”

“Why?”

“Because sometimes when they see clean teeth on kids; they give us candy,”

“Really Dickie,” Honey now lights up. The thought of Candy always gets kids excited.

“Cross my heart and hope to die.” We both stick our faces in the window and rub our teeth until I see the Chinaman coming to kill us for making fun of their jutting teeth. “Run Honey, run,” as I dash towards the movies.

“Wait,” says tubby, “where are you going? I thought we were going to get some candy from the China man?”

“Aaa, he must have been a Commie, their different. Billy told me Chinese are O.K. but Commies are mean.” The Gem Theater is just ahead of us. As we pass the Post Office I get another brainstorm. “Honey let me have the nickel Mommy gave you.”

“No, then I won’t have any money to spend.”

“You don’t understand, I’m going to show you how to do a magic Trick.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well how would you like to have more money to spend?”

“O.K.”

“Give me the nickel.” Grudgingly she hands it to me but squeezes it real tight.

“You promise to give it back?”

“Honest to God, Cross my heart and hope to die; you’ll be surprised at how BIG it grows.” She lets her death grip relax and I bolt out into the street in front of Station 7, the East Boston Police Headquarters. I place the nickel in the street car track, deeply grooved as the trolley comes out of the underground tunnel at the Maverick, MTA Station.

“Dickie, what are you doing? Look out here come’s the street car.” CRUNCH, the trolley rumbles over the nickel and comes to a stop; right on top of the coin. As the train continues toward Revere Beach, I run out to re-claim the larger than life token, the flattened nickel. Amazed at the odd new shape; I hand it to Honey, bragging about my magic, “See, bigger, wider, flatter; now we can buy more candy.”

“Aggg,” she starts sobbing uncontrollably in the middle of the street, screaming at the top of her chubby cheeks. “It’s crushed, I’m going home; I’m telling Mommy on you.”

‘Go ahead Brat you don’t even know where home is,’ I’m again thinking.

Now I’m wondering if the coin is one of those mis-prints Uncle Reggie showed me. His coin collection had odd coins worth a lot of money and this one certainly is odd enough?

“Wait, Honey stop crying people are looking.” Now I’m acting just like my Mom worrying about people knowing my….. our family travesty. I need to act fast or I’ll be known throughout the city as, the rotten rat brother. I can’t have that.

“Wait, Honey wait; I promise to make it up to you I’ll feed you candy all afternoon.” Whoops now you did it big mouth; how in the world are you gonna keep that promise. Sounds like Dad promising to take us to the Park, coming home ‘three sheets to the wind’ so he always ends up with a coincidental ailment?

“I’ll give you my two pennies, here and after we get in the show I’ll keep my promise to give you candy all afternoon.”

Now crawling under the seats, I’m in a gold mine, no lights and using brail to locate people droppings. Here’s a penny, a piece of fudge, good there’s only a little bite, this ones for her. Whoa what’s this? It looks like a locket; I’ll check it later. Wow, my favorite Bonomo Chocolate’s; I love Bonomo’ Chocolates!”

* Filthy Goodies

An article printed in the Time magazine December 26, 1938 entitled, ‘Filthy Goodies’. Little boys are supposedly made of snaps & snails & puppy dogs tails. Worse were the ingredients found by the Federal inspectors in cheap candy made at the Brooklyn factory of Victor A. Bonomo and sold at goody counters to stores in New England?

Judge Grover M. Moscowitz, father of four Moscowitzes, glared indignantly from his bench as he heard the chemist’s report on the contents of Bonomo’s candy: rodent’s hairs, rodents excreta, larvae, fragments of human hair, bits of paper, bits of mouse pelts and fragments of glass. Sample pieces contained as high as 205 insect fragments, 204 mouse hairs. The Moscowitz sentence: $600 fine [legal maximum] and three years on probation for the filth purveyor.

Next treat in my extortion bag are mint juleps “Oh yuck, what did I stick my hand in. It’s a spit out nigger baby?” They were black sugar covered licorice tasting mummies. “I need to wash my sticky, yucky hands. I think this is enough for now.” Crawling cautiously so as to not brush against anymore legs I was feeling pretty confident about my journey until I got back to my seat and saw this bald headed man sitting next to my sister. She was white as a Ghost. I didn’t know what to do. How do you tell a grown up to get away from your sister, without getting into trouble? You must never speak disrespectful to an adult. You would be considered rude.

“Hummmm, That’s it; thanks God?” An idea, pops into my head.

“Hey Mister, that’s my seat next to my sister.” I yelled hoping he wouldn’t recognize me. Everyone turned around staring at the man; all thinking different thoughts about what he was doing in this kid movie, alone? The staring, glaring eyes did it. They were all casting stones at the pervert. He raises and mumbles some soft excuse for the intrusion into the seat pattern, “Oh I’m sorry; my seat is the next row. I couldn’t tell in the dark.” He quietly apologizes and slithers away. I believe the snake slithered right down the stairs and out the door. A few weeks earlier while at the movies with my friends; I happened to actually be watching a movie. Without realizing it; all my friends got kicked out. I was so engrossed I hadn’t seen the bald headed guy sit down next to me. Again I paid no attention still captivated by the naked titties on the natives running around in Africa. Suddenly his trench coat accidently fell partially in my lap. Glued to the screen; I flipped it back. Again it flops over I figured it was too big for his seat so I ignored it. I felt a wonderful twinge on my thigh; like the night I thought I was in heaven with my brother. The wondrous feeling immediately subsided so back to Africa I go. I jumped three feet in the air the next hand was firm and warm as hell. It felt great as it slid down between my legs.

“Whoa, what the heck.”

Baldy leans over and whispers with dragon breath, “How’d you like to earn a quarter;” as he rubs his hand around my peepee. I’m withering in ecstasy.

“A quarter,” wow that’s a lot of candy; I’m now thinking. I’m getting scared but don’t have anyone to tell; my friends are all gone. I start wiggling my legs like I’m going to pee my pants. “Mister I have to go to the bathroom.”

Whispering again he says, “Me too, I’ll come with you. I’m not going to hurt you sonny; I’m a school teacher.” He grabs more firmly but relaxes immediately giving me a feeling of restraint, additional fear and instant relaxation. Frightened by this ghoulish fiend; I start to whimper, “Mr. Teacher I really have to go do number one, I’ll be right back, I promise.”

“Don’t tell anyone about the quarter and when you come back I’ll give you this,” He’s waving a whole dollar in my face. I really had to think about that one. “Humm, when’s the last time I had a dollar? I think it was Aunt Nancy whose husband was arrested in the Brink’s Robbery?”

“You promise to come right back?” He asks.

“Honest to God, cross my Heart and hope to die.” With my fingers crossed behind my back; I jump up, run around the candy counter and slip down stairs. I don’t think I ever ran as fast as I did that day. The Ghost of Bald Mountain was following me every step of the way. If I only had been edumacated; the Police Station was directly across the street and Mack the Bubble was dressed in a Cop suit. We never thought he could actually do anything other than throw kids out. Shame on our High Society, ‘Children should be seen and not heard’; what group of eminent psychologist thought that one up? If you tried to tell some one; no one was listening anyway. I will say this; those meatheads were ions ahead of their time, show me a kid today who can be seen at any event at the home? They’re all TVewing or stuck on the Computer. Today they are certainly seen but are too educated to have any parent hear them or even barely understand the lingo of the kids. When the situation occurred with my sister Honey; I was better prepared having experienced it earlier. After he left I changed our seats and sat Honey next to an older woman while I paid the ransom and went back to the dark coal mines for the rest of the extortion money. When ever I was forced to take my sister after that; I’d make sure I sat her next to a Mother with kids or at least an older girl. The Movie ended, Plumpy, Dumpy was still chomping away. Papino the little Mouse was filthy and as we got caught in the overwhelming rush down the stairs to daylight, I overheard several voices talking about brushes against their legs and softly whispering, “Rats”. The Gem Theater was forever known as the Rat House.