Chapter 88 - Looks Like It's the First Time
"Whoa, a Teddy Bear! It looks just like the real thing!!"
That was Roa's immediate reaction as soon as she opened the Gift Box.
After all that effort, buying the Original at the department store, and yet she thinks Santa Claus just picked up a knock-off on the street.
She even goes over every inch with her little hands to make sure there aren't any loose threads.
"Santa only deals in the real thing."
"There are so many kids like Roa, he can't buy things for all of them. Roa understands."
I have no idea what she supposedly understands.
At this point, maybe I should've just bought one off the street.
Roa hugged the Teddy Bear tightly, rubbed her cheek against it, showered it with kisses, and even gave it a name.
"You're my little brother Teddy from now on. We'll always be together! Aw, you're hungry? Big Brother, Teddy says he's hungry."
"Can he even open his mouth?"
I looked away from Roa's dramatic glare and turned to Liam, who was stuffing books into his bag.
"Do you like it?"
"Santa has pretty good taste."
"If you talk like that, do you think Santa will give you anything next year?"
"...Santa Claus's sense is just insane."
"So this must be your last present, huh."
"...Santa Claus, good job."
While the kids were completely absorbed in their presents, Mother came home.
Roa ran over, leading Teddy in front like a parade.
"Oh my, what's all this?"
"Santa Claus gave Roa this Teddy Bear. Doesn't it look real?"
Mother, checking the stitching, let out a gasp of delight.
"Someone must have been extra careful picking it out just for you, Roa."
It really is real, I thought, frowning a bit as I handed Mother her own Gift Box.
"What could this be?"
"It's a present from Santa, what else?"
"Even for me?"
Mother looked at me with eyes shining just like Roa's, then untied the ribbon.
When she saw what was inside, her eyes grew just as wide as Roa's.
"What is this?"
"It's a dress for you, Mom! Like, the kind you wear to a party! There's even a hat—wow!"
After checking out the fabric and material, she held it up against herself, her mouth opening as if to say something to me.
She was basically asking, "Why did you get me such an expensive gift?"
"But is that present for Big Brother? Santa must've gotten one for him too—oh my, even for Big Brother!"
"Oh, is that really for me?"
Playing it cool, I opened the box. When a sharp-looking suit came out, Mother and Roa clapped their hands with excitement. On the other hand, Liam said,
"My present feels kind of cheap in comparison. Was I too modest?"
"You dream too small, Little Brother. Roa already decided what Santa is bringing her next year."
And Roa quietly whispered to Liam, saying maybe we'd be able to move to a new house.
So now she wants a house? Roa's wishes were on another level.
"All right, let's pick up a bit and get ready to head out."
Our family arrived at Canal Street Station to catch the IRT Lexington Avenue Line.
We bought 5-cent one-way tickets and moved onto the subway platform. Roa clung tightly to her teddy bear with one hand and held Mother's hand firmly with the other.
I frowned at Liam.
"Why are you carrying your bag?"
"If there's nothing to do, I'll just read a book. Who knows—if someone sees me reading, maybe they'll think I'm such a good kid and give me some pocket money."
"That's a smart strategy."
It was still early in the afternoon, but the platform was already crowded with people waiting for the subway. Everyone seemed to be carrying boxes or big paper bags, probably heading off to spend Christmas with their families.
I'd also prepared a present for my maternal grandparents, whom I was meeting for the first time. It was steak meat, weighing almost 10 kilograms.
In America, families usually gather for Thanksgiving and Christmas. But because most people weren't well-off, they'd often save up money or each bring something to the table.
I'd have to see for myself, but apparently, Mother had quite a few siblings. If everyone brought their kids, even she wasn't sure how many people there would be.
"Will we have a place to sleep?"
"...I don't know, either."
My maternal grandparents had just moved, so this was Mother's first time there, too. All I knew was that my eldest uncle was running a boarding house.
We were waiting for the subway, staring absentmindedly at the meaningless timetable, when suddenly, a group of men dressed in black suits appeared on the platform. They were speaking in low voices, and I caught bits of Italian mixed in with their conversation. Out of everything they said, one remark caught my attention.
"I heard there's a rumor that a casino has opened in the basement of Rosie Hertz's building. Have you heard anything?"
"L'ho sentito anch'io (I've heard that too). They say it's under the newly opened Pumpkin Dance Hall. All the employees are Paddies."
"Paddy" refers to people of Irish descent.
The men discussed which gang might be behind the casino. But since they didn't have much information, their conversation soon shifted to the recent newspaper articles about the ongoing trials of the leadership of the Neapolitan gang.
After a little while, the subway arrived. Everything was new to Roa, who stepped onto the train with an excited look on her face.
"Teddy, this is the subway. Don't be too scared, Roa—it's my first time too."
Roa whispered back and forth to her teddy bear.
Come to think of it, it was Liam's first time on the subway as well. Watching his eyes darting around in every direction, he really wasn't any different from Roa.
My world, and my younger sibling's, was limited to the Lower East Side—a place diverse only in its races.
I kept an eye on the Italian gangsters in our subway car, but maybe because the train was crowded, everyone kept their mouths shut.
With nowhere in particular to look, I glanced over their style. There wasn't much difference from the Irish gangs, but their look felt more uniform. They all wore fedoras, suits in dark shades, even their shoes showed a certain attention to detail.
After about thirty minutes, I noticed something interesting: as we traveled uptown, the number of Black passengers noticeably increased.
In 1876, Southern states established the Jim Crow Laws to enforce racial segregation. Of course, New York didn't follow those state laws, but invisible forms of discrimination still existed.
Many Black passengers avoided certain subway cars and areas. In contrast, some white passengers openly steered clear of seats or showed outright hostility.
The same thing was happening in our car right now. To the left, Black passengers; to the right, white passengers. Roa noticed this invisible wall.
"Teddy, Roa just found something interesting," Roa announced, standing in the middle and moving Teddy's head from side to side.
Uneasy looks from other passengers began to focus on Roa. Soon, the Italian gangsters stood up together and started walking toward us.
Mother gave a start, quickly pulled Roa down into a seat, and I slid my hand inside my coat, ready to pull out my knife at any moment.
Finally, just as the Italian gangsters reached us, the subway came to a stop.
As the doors opened, the Italian gangsters all began to file out. They were simply getting off.
The station was East Harlem in Upper Manhattan. Black residents were mostly concentrated in Central Harlem, while Italians and Jews made up the majority in East Harlem.
And Sicily had been expanding its influence from its base in East Harlem—steadily pushing its territory north into the Bronx and south toward the Lower East Side.
So these Italians who just got off were most likely Sicilian gangsters who controlled this area.
Meanwhile, Liam whispered to Roa.
"Don't move an inch from your seat."
"Okay. What about Teddy?"
"Same goes for him."
"I don't really get why, but I'll listen to you, Little Brother."
By the time we left East Harlem behind, we were finally able to enjoy the scenery outside the window. Between Manhattan and the Bronx, we caught a glimpse of the Harlem River.
And as soon as we crossed the bridge, our family got off at the East 138th–Grand Concourse station.
In the late 19th century, the Bronx was a mostly undeveloped suburb with a small population. But everything changed when it was incorporated into New York City. With bridges and railroads connecting it to Manhattan, waves of immigrants began pouring into the Bronx.
By 1900, the population was booming, and urbanization was spreading outward from the areas closest to Manhattan.
My maternal grandparents moved to the Bronx around 1907.
***
South Bronx.
Near the intersection of East 138th and Third Avenue.
My mother stopped in front of a five-story building, her face flushed with anticipation.
"Is this Grandpa and Grandma's house?"
"Yes. I think so…"
My mother's voice trembled as she answered Roa's question.
Not just her voice—her shoulders were shaking too.
She was that nervous.
The first floor of the red brick building was a grocery and general store, with a staircase between the shops leading up.
Starting from the second floor, it was a tenement house where people lived, and since it was relatively new, it looked more comfortable than where we lived.
Just as my mother took a deep breath and was about to enter the building, the door to the grocery store opened and an elderly couple with graying hair emerged.
Their eyes, growing damp and red with emotion, landed on Roa after passing over my mother, me, and Liam.
Then Grandma, with tears streaming down her face, held out her arms.
"Come here, darling."
This was the first time Roa had ever met her maternal grandmother.
Without a moment's hesitation, Roa ran straight into her embrace.
Then Grandpa hugged my mother, who had burst into tears, and gently patted her shoulder.
"I'm sorry."
"No… It's all my fault, really."
They exchanged apologies back and forth.
This time, Grandma hugged Liam, tenderly caressing his face.
I stood off to the side, watching my family's reunion as if I were an observer.
And then, at some point, Grandpa and Grandma looked at me, their eyes brimming with tears.
I couldn't shake the feeling that I was the reason everything had gone wrong between them—including the estrangement that had followed.
And their words only confirmed it.
"He's grown up so well and turned out so fine. How could we… We're so sorry."
I'm not as virtuous as you think, Maternal Grandparents.
As my lips twitched, they hugged me tightly, as if to say they understood how I felt even without words.
I awkwardly patted their backs.
But just then, the shop door swung open.
"Hey old man, what are you doing? Aren't you going to ring us up?"
"What, are you running a business or not?"
What a bunch of rude punks. Can't they see what's happening here?
"Oh, look at me, I'm all over the place."
Grandpa quickly wiped away his tears and walked over to the customers.
O'Connell's Grocery & Provisions
My maternal grandparents ran a grocery store.
"Come on in, everyone," my grandmother said, leading us into their home.
Their place was at the far end on the right side of the second floor. It was at least twice as big as our tenement house and even had two rooms. The living room was quite spacious too; it looked like they had pushed all the furniture up against the walls to make room for family visiting.
After I set down the bundle I'd brought in the kitchen, Grandma asked what it was.
"It's steak meat."
"All of it?"
I prepared plenty, not knowing how many family members would be here.
Mother had also brought a present.
"Oh, you really didn't have to bring anything. You should've just come empty-handed…"
"Mom, I didn't buy this. It's something my company made."
"Is that so? I heard there was trouble at the clothing factory, so I was really worried about how hard you must have had it…"
"Oh, it wasn't that bad. Now I'm actuall—"
Clunk.
Just as Mother was about to brag, more family arrived. It was Uncle Larry's family.
"You're here."
"Nora!"
Larry beamed, and his wife—whom I'd never met before—rushed over to my mother with tears in her eyes and embraced her tightly.
Not being able to see each other at the hospital must have made the reunion that much more emotional.
"We thought we'd be the first ones here, but you got here early."
"We finished up work sooner than expected."
Stanley, Uncle Larry's eldest son, smiled and gave my shoulder a friendly pat.
Meanwhile, his daughter Amy ran straight over to Roa.
"Oh my, you must be Roa. Aren't you adorable!"
"This is Roa's younger brother, Teddy."
"Wow, is that a Teddy Bear? Who got you this expensive gift?"
"Santa Claus did. Since we don't have a chimney, he left it in front of the house."
"Aww, that's so cute!"
Amy pinched Roa's cheeks and nuzzled her face against them, showering her with affection.
It was a moment before she noticed Liam.
"Hi, you must be Liam. I'm Amy."
The way she greeted him was noticeably less enthusiastic than with Roa.
Of course, fifteen-year-old Liam wasn't exactly warm and fuzzy either.
While the cousins greeted one another, Grandma turned to Larry.
"Is it because your sister's here? You seem to be in such a good mood today."
"It's that Nora's here, and I also had some good news of my own. Don't be too shocked, Mom. Actually, I should wait until Father arrives."
"What is it?"
"I'll tell everyone once they get here!"
It seemed Uncle Larry had something to brag about, too. Of course, I already knew what it was.
But still, I wondered if there would even be enough space for everyone to sit in this house once they all arrived.
Mother is the third of six siblings—three brothers and three sisters.
Noah, Larry, Mother, Ted, Anna, Catherine.
How many would that be if everyone showed up?
"By the way, is Noah running late this time? He's usually the first to arrive."
"Maybe he's busy with work at the company."
"Well, being busy is a good thing, I suppose."
"Anyway, there's food at the store—can someone go get it?"
"I'll go!"
Curious to have a look around the grocery store too, I volunteered.
As I stepped outside and started to head down the stairs, I ran into a sturdy-looking man coming up the steps. He was on his way up as I was on my way down.
Suddenly, a familiar scent hit my nose.
It was the smell of blood.
I glanced at the man's sleeve as he brushed past me.
There was blood on it. Just as a sense of deep suspicion began to rise, the man—who had been on his way up—abruptly stopped in his tracks.
"I don't think I've seen you before. Are you a guest of Old Man Matthew?"
That's my maternal grandfather's name.
When I nodded, the man let out a short, dismissive laugh.
"Damn Christmas. It'll be noisy again today."
Honestly, I agreed.
If everyone showed up, it was sure to get incredibly loud.
But who are you?