Night Gaze Redemption of Joker

Chapter 4 For The Family

4 years passed and Jack was no longer a bottom feeder. He was someone of influence, someone who could implement change.

*

All morning Alice was in court. She found the whole process tiring and she was happy that it was finally over. Mr. Lyle pulls up in front of the orphanage and Alice steps out. The man on the radio said it was going to be another scorcher and Alice could feel the heat bearing down on her. She stood at the bottom of the stairs dreading the ascent. Her legs felt heavier with each step she took. Mr. Lyle ran up and twisted the iron lion head on the door. The metal was hot. He quickly opened it and it flung back. Sharon walked past the door to handle a certain situation. It was because a spunky little redhead had someone in her grasp.
"Pamela Li! Let go of that girl's hair right now!" Sharon screamed.
"She called me a ginger! Nobody calls me a ginger! Not my Momma, not my Pappy, and especially no blonde headed Susie Q!"
"Pamela Li, please let go. I'm sorry."
"Pamela Li, she said she's sorry. Let her go."
"Fine. Don't you ever, call me a ginger again!"
Pamela lets go of the girl's hair and stumps off. Frustration was clearly written on Sharon's face.
"Well it seems you have your hands full this morning."
Sharon jumped after seeing Alice from the corner of her eye.
"Alice, you scared me. I didn't hear you come in."
"Sorry about that."
Alice looked like she could pass out at any moment. Her hand braced the door frame and she started feeling dizzy. Alice knew then that she was going to blackout. Her eyes rolled back and Mr. Lyle ran over and caught her. His arm braced her back and Sharon took out her fan. A light breeze emits onto Alice's face.
"Alice, Miss. Alice. Are you okay Miss.?" Sharon screamed.
Alice's eyes started to flutter. She could see a blurry image of Sharon's face. Sharon went into the laundry room and grabbed a chair. Mr. Lyle helped her into her seat. The kids looked frightened.
"Mr. Lyle, go get her a glass of water please."
"Got it."
"Don't, don't. Mr. Lyle I'm fine. I'm just a little exhausted."
"Alice, you just passed out."
"I know but I just need to go to my office and rest."
Mr. Lyle still grabbed the water and handed it to her.
"Thank you Mr. Lyle."
"You're welcome Miss."
Lyle started to walk away.
"Mr. Lyle, there was an accident in the boys bathroom while you were gone. The floor is a mess in there." Sharon said.
"Stupid kids." He whispered under his breath.
Alice was starting to look better.
"Here."
She hands her glass to Sharon.
"I'm so tired. It was so boring hearing a bunch of old men talk all morning.
"Where's Jack?"
"He is with officer Gordon. Gordon said he was going to talk to him."
"Well that's a waste of time. You know he's not going to listen."
"I know." Alice sighs.
Mr.Lyle grabbed his mop bucket and headed down the hall. Sharon was comforting the little girl who had her hair pulled. Alice went to her office and shut the door. She sat down and kicked off her shoes. Her big toe was poking through the nylons. Alice threw her leg up and placed her heel on her desk. Her thumb caressed the top of her foot while her fingers massaged the bottom. Alice put her foot down and then she grabbed her small black metal fan from under her desk. Her overloaded sockets started to spark as she plugged it in. She sat it on the desk and flipped the switch. It started to clank as it spun. It was so hot that the fan was only moving around the hot air. She still felt a bit overheated in her thick dress suit. Alice grabbed a piece of paper and started fanning herself. She pulled off her jacket and then folded it. Alice placed it on the back of her seat. Then she threw her hat on top of her plant sitting next to her desk. Alice could hear Mr. Lyle's feet drag across the wooden floor. He was getting closer to the door. Alice got up and walked slowly to the filing cabinet. She pulls out Jack's folder and throws it on the desk. Then she plops back down in her chair. She slouches a bit and hangs her arms off the sides.
"So,how was court?" Mr. Lyle asked.
He was now standing in the doorway.
"It was odd, It was like watching a bunch of sea lions barking. If you ask me, they are all idiots."
"And what about Jack?"
"They let him off with a warning."
"Ha, a warning. That boy has some luck."
"Yeah, he has a way with words." She said.
She grabbed the letter opener out of the top left drawer and opened a bill sitting on her desk. A frown came over her brow.
"Where did I go wrong Mr. Lyle?" She sighed.
"If you ask me. It was when you let that boy stay here. I would have turned him over to the police and been done with it. He's a thug just like his dad, rotten to the core. He's been nothing but a thorn in your side. I'm telling you Alice, he's a lost cause."
Miss. Alice lightly chuckled and then sighed again.
"I'm not talking about the boy. I can handle him. I was talking about our bills."
"Why's that?"
"It's just we don't have enough money. From what we get from the state we can barely afford the electric and the food bills. Look at this." She hands him a bill.
"How can this be? I thought that we were still receiving money from Mr. Ricky."
"We were and that was keeping us afloat but without his contribution we might not have enough to keep the orphanage open."
"I see?" He said in a sadder lower tone.
He handed the paper back to her.
"You know why he stopped giving us money?" She paused.
"No, why?"
"He said, he doesn't owe us anything and that we are a reminder of his past. He says he doesn't need any reminders and that we are nothing more than weeds in his garden. So, he won't help us anymore. He threw us away, Mr. Lyle. He threw us away like trash. I thought we were more to him than that."
"I'm not surprised Miss. Richard has always been like that."
"True."
" So, what are we going to do now?"
"Well, we can't cry over spilled milk. The money is gone."
"Good riddance I say."
"Why's that Mr. Lyle?"
"The money is probably dirty anyway, we don't really need that type of association."
"Good point."
Something clicked in her head. Her eyes got big and her eyebrow lifted. She shook her right pointer finger.
"I know what I need to do!" She yelled.
"What?"
"I'm going to make a few calls. Maybe I can get help from someone as prestigious as the Waynes. Who knows, I gotta at least try. Thank you, Mr. Lyle."
"Your welcome ma'am."
Mr. Lyle closed the office door and pulled out his flask. He took two big swigs of bourbon and slowly exhaled. Lyle could feel the burn of the alcohol in the back of his throat. He sat on the bench outside her office and he hunched over. His fingers rubbed against the scruff of his chin.