Jason Barker finished biting his pinky nail, the last one remaining, while patiently waiting for his sister.
"Relax, or you'll have no fingers left," Joy, the social worker, said as she placed her hand on the young man's.
"She's late," Jason said, getting up from his chair. "Ellis should have been here an hour ago."
"It's probably just traffic," Joy explained, standing up as well. She walked over to Jason and continued, "I'm sure Ellis had a good reason for being late."
"Whatever the reason, I don't know if they..." Jason started, nodding towards two plainclothes police officers sitting on the couch. "I don't know if they're going to take this well."
The reception door of the clinic was practically knocked down by Ellis, who approached, out of breath. Yes, she knew she was late and that it shouldn't even have been an option. Not today.
Ellis approached her brother, who was looking at her nervously, but still excited. He walked quickly to hug his sister, who was also emotional. It had been two years of trial, but they had finally made it. The moment could have been better for both of them, if not for Officer Smith's deliberate dry cough, interrupting their embrace. The officer approached with his partner and then said:
"Miss Barker, as you know, your brother is on probation after being caught running an illegal poker game and also with a large amount of heroin."
"I already said the drugs weren't mine..." Jason retorted, being restrained by his sister's touch on his arm. "What's up?"
"The agreement made with the prosecution required him to spend two years in a rehabilitation clinic, as well as 300 hours of community service. He will also be monitored by me, his probation officer," Smith continued, looking at Ellis and Jason. "Every day I will contact the numbers provided by Miss Barker to communicate with Jason and check his location, starting today at 11 p.m. If he doesn't answer, we'll understand that he's violating his probation and he will be taken directly to jail. Am I clear?"
"I understand, sir," Ellis said.
"Anything, Miss Barker, I ask that you contact me," Smith said, handing his card to Ellis. He then turned to Jason and said, "Stay out of trouble, Barker."
The two officers left, leaving the siblings staring at each other. Joy approached the two with her beautiful smile and spoke to them:
"Ellis, I need you to sign your brother's release form. Then I need you to leave here and start your new life. You both deserve this second chance."
"Thank you, Joy," Ellis said, hugging Joy.
That hug was nothing compared to everything Joy had done for the siblings. That sixty-year-old woman with gray hair and an affectionate smile had been the mother the two needed during those two years. She was one of those people Ellis made sure to keep in her heart forever.
Ellis then approached the reception desk and signed her brother's release. The two smiled at each other and then left the clinic for a new life.
***
To the north of Brooklyn, Brownsville is a ghetto that has a reputation for being one of the most dangerous neighborhoods in New York. Its level of violence - among crimes, misdemeanors, assaults, drugs, and shootings - is among the highest in New York. And it was there that Ellis and his brother Jason were raised by their parents. Many would say that Jason's path was natural, given the neighborhood. However, Ellis knew the effort that his father, Jack Barker, had put in to ensure that his children had a decent education and did not venture into that world that surrounded them.
It seemed as though Jack had succeeded, but when he became part of the shooting statistics, everything changed. Ellis tried to take care of the house, but Jason knew that his sister alone could not handle it. At first, he even looked for a job, but having just finished high school, with no experience and still a resident of Brownsville, he felt firsthand that there was no chance other than to follow the most practical path.
At first, Jason did not manage the games; he only received the players, sent messages about meeting points. However, as he gained the players' trust, he decided to take over the business, even knowing that there would be consequences.
He began to operate illegal games and even used his former bosses' contacts to acquire drugs, which was a way to further stimulate players to stay at the poker tables.
His ambition spoke louder, and he paid the price. If you look more closely, it was a low price because the people he had stolen the players from could have killed him.
"Luck," Jason whispered as he looked out the car window towards the old house where he grew up.
"What did you say?" Ellis asked, turning off the car.
"I said I'm lucky to be alive," Jason replied before getting out of the car.
"Yes," agreed Ellis, getting out of the car. She jumped on her brother's back and continued talking, "You have a great opportunity to start over now."
"Yeah," replied Jason, carrying his sister to the door. "I just want to see who's going to want a convict as an employee."
"First, you need to focus on community work," Ellis reminded him, opening the door of the house with some difficulty. It reminded her that she needed to change the lock as soon as possible, or she would be on the street. "Joy got you a job at the community center in the neighborhood. You'll be their janitor."
"Great," replied Jason without much enthusiasm, throwing himself on the couch at home. He grabbed the TV remote and turned it on. "I can't wait."
"Jason, you need to see all of this as a good thing," explained Ellis, stopping in front of the TV. She sat at the table in front and then said, "Little brother, you're free!"
"Free, but with a price on my head," Jason retorted. "They'll come after me, Ellis."
"No, they won't," Ellis replied, holding her brother's hand.
"How can you be so sure?" Jason asked, not understanding how his sister could be so certain that the men who Jason owed drugs and stole clients from would not seek revenge.
Before she could answer, the doorbell rang. Perhaps some curious neighbor had seen them arrive and had come to confirm the day's gossip. Ellis reluctantly got up from the coffee table and walked to the entrance, where she was surprised by the visit of Troy Lamar.
Troy Lamar was a thin black boy, totally opposite to Jason, who had been his best friend since childhood. Unlike Jason, Troy decided to pursue an academic life and went to community college to take a course that Ellis could not remember.
"Hi Troy, what are you doing here?" asked Ellis before fully opening the door.
"Is it true? Has Jason come back?" the boy asked excitedly.
"Yes," replied Ellis.
Like a bolt of lightning, Troy entered the house and walked towards the living room, where he found his best friend. The two hugged, a scene that moved Ellis, who watched everything from the living room door. They caught up, with Troy telling Jason how he was close to graduating, while Jason talked about life in the clinic. Meanwhile, Ellis made a snack for the boys, something that used to be routine in her house and she missed. She was finishing making her brother's sandwich when the house phone rang. She walked towards the living room where the two boys were now playing video games and answered:
"Hello, who's speaking? Hello, Mr. Williams," greeted Ellis upon recognizing her restaurant boss's relentless voice. "No, I'm not on the schedule today, my brother has been discharged... Yes, I've picked up my brother... He's already home... Mr. Williams, I explained that I couldn't... I know they were short-staffed, but I can't leave my brother alone... I know you... I understand..."
"What's up?" Jason asked, turning his attention to the conversation.
"My boss wants me to go to work, but I already told him that I was allowed to stay with you today," Ellis explained while covering the phone's mouthpiece. "But he keeps insisting that two employees are missing and he needs me. He even doubled the overtime pay."
"Sis, you should go," Jason said, looking at the television.
"And leave you alone on your first night at home? No way," Ellis refused, shaking her head.
"He's not alone, I'm here," Troy argued before making a move that would make him win against Jason. "And winning against Jason again."
"I don't know... I don't think it's a good idea."
"Sis, just go. We need the money," Jason said, placing the controller on the coffee table. He approached his sister, held her shoulders, and said, "I'll be fine..."
"I don't know..."
"Ellis, it's just a few hours. You know that Troy and I can play for hours on end. How many times did Dad come home and we were still playing?"
"I know, but things are a little different now," Ellis began to say when she noticed the guilt on her brother's face.
"Trust me, Ellis," Jason pleaded, looking at his sister. "Please..."
"Okay," Ellis relented, returning to the phone. "Mr. Williams, you can count on me."
She hung up the phone, walked to the bedroom, and got ready. In a few minutes, she was already in the living room in uniform, giving all the instructions to the two guys who were listening attentively.
"Jason, don't forget that Smith will call at 11 p.m., so no matter how engrossed you are, please answer," she reminded her brother for the thousandth time.
"Okay," the brother said.
"Great. I'm leaving, but please call me if anything happens," Ellis asked again.
She walked towards the exit, accompanied by her brother who locked the door carefully. Ellis went to the car with the feeling that something bad was about to happen.
Burgers, pizza slices, milkshakes, full tables - these were the things that filled Ellis's mind as she rushed through the restaurant trying to make up for the missing staff. The advantage of a busy restaurant was that the hours passed quickly. She hadn't even realized that four hours had already gone by.
"Barker," Mr. Williams called, leaning against the cash register.
Ellis approached with her skates and tray, noticing that her boss was already separating his share of the day's tips. She already imagined that with that money she would take her brother to buy new clothes and shoes.
"Thanks for your support," Williams said before the employee left.
Ellis raced home to arrive before 11 PM. She knew deep down that her brother probably wouldn't hear the phone ringing and would end up getting caught playing video games.
As soon as she stopped in front of the house and saw all the lights off, she knew for sure that her brother was completely focused on the game. At least until she reached the door and saw that it was only closed, and not locked...
"Jason?" Ellis called as she entered the house and turned on the lights.
There was no sign of her brother in the living room, so she headed towards his room, but he wasn't there either.
"Jason!" Ellis called again as she entered her own room, which was also empty. "Jason, where are you?"
Ellis searched every room while calling out for him, but there was no response. Her stomach began to churn, fearing the worst, but the worst was yet to come.
RING! RING! RING! The telephone in the living room began to ring.