The rest of the kids were driven two by two in the El Camino until another bus had come to retrieve the few that remained stranded on the side of the snow bank . As you remember, it was all pretty exciting, especially to hear Richard talk about how his Dad had been circling in a helicopter the whole time to make sure that no one got hurt by the explosion. At the end of that day David came to say that you could get a lift home in his Dad’s truck. You wanted to say, no thanks, that your Dad was coming, but your Dad was in Egypt.

It’s a Ford F150 truck said David brightening as his Father pulled over the curb to collect you. The window rolled down it was David’s Dad, he looked thin and stern and in a kind of Clint Eastwood way said, ‘get in’. You looked over to the school one last time before climbing up into the truck. You see Maria. She was standing alone. She was waiting to be collected. You wondered if Gerado would come for her, whether he’d remember, whether the police had finally caught up with him.

‘Stop’. David was pointing to a boy wearing snowpants. The truck pulled up on to the snowbank and crunched to a stop. You and David had got out. Nasser’s face changed from a look of despair to happiness inside a second. He jumped up and swished his snow pants with kicks of excitement.

As you watched David and Nasser climb back in the truck you said to David that you think you’re ok to find another way home and look over to see that Maria is still standing at the same lonely spot in the school ground. Maybe you could keep her company, you thought.

The truck doors closed, but didn’t leave. As the motor ran, smoke ballooned out the exhaust lit red by the brake lights. David’s Dad got out and walked around the truck. David emerged from the truck. He blinked and looked worried. ‘Come over here, 'said David’s Dad in the kind of way a sheriff might order a man who was going to get hung. In the back of the truck on top of a load of road grit there was a pharmacy bag. The contents had come loose and were strewn this way and that. The Flex Armstrong was the first item you saw. The red limbs of the stretchy doll pushed out of the plastic bag like a scene out of a murder crime show. There was a Potato Head, a Hot Wheels race excelerator, some random pharmacy products like after shave, Irish Spring soap, a gold chain, and a chemistry set. Wow, a chemistry set. If you had stolen toys, this would have been the thing to steal. ‘This your stuff,’ said David’s Dad. You remember him looming over you and the question covered you like a shadow. You would later learn that Mr. Gladman was a kind man who loved David in his way. He really would die of Aids three years later. But in that moment, he was the long arm of the law that was about to hang you for your crime. You wanted to say no, this was David’s stuff. You wanted to say that you were a crime fighter. You looked over to David who said timidly, ‘It was for Christmas.’ ‘Whose Christmas,’’ scoffed Mr. Gladman stuffing David’s stolen toys into the shopping bag. He held out the bag and smiled at you but without smiling you could see in his eyes that he was letting you go, returning your freedom.. You gripped the bag, turned and ran. ‘Let Nasser have my seat, ' you said as your snow pants clipped your stride and plunged you into the snowbank. Trailing the bag of toys you managed to get to your feet and skid your way where you had last seen Maria. You heard Mr. Gladamans voice had trailed off as your ears began to thump, ‘‘Maybe he said keep running or I’ll hunt you down like a dog, but you’ll never know.

Maria wasn’t there when you arrived back at the school yard. The school seemed abandoned. Some lights here and there illuminated the rooms where teachers prepared their classes for the next day, or maybe sat inside smoking and laughing about you. You stood in the spot where Maria had been. You stood there for a long time, at least ten minutes, long enough for your teeth to begin to chatter. You had been thinking about being Maria’s brother when one of the school doors opened up spilling a shaft of light onto the school yard. Is that Michael said the voice. You thought it was the outline of the janitor in the doorway. ‘Yeah,’ you said in a voice that sounded more pathetic than you would have liked. Do you need a ride home. ‘Yeah.’ you said thinking that if anyone asked you about the toys, all you need to say was that they were for Christmas.

Your mum thanked the Janitor for driving you home as you swished past her without a word directly into your bedroom. The bag for toys would find its hiding spot right in the back of your closet, behind your street hockey equipment. At dinner your mum didn’t ask you about the plastic bag. You watched the Love Boat that night, and she made you both popcorn. It was good when you were together, when your Dad was away. You could be the man of the house. When you went to bed your Mum said, ‘brush your teeth Michael, and remember it's Saturday tomorrow. That was her reminding you about the appointment at the pharmacy. You’ll need to bring your bag of toys. ‘All of it,’ she said. ‘Yes,’ you said. ‘The chemistry set too,’ she smiled as you slunk off to bed. In bed that night, you thought of the pharmacist in his wire-framed glasses. He flickered in your mind like a zombie movie.

- - - - - - - - - -

You manage to wake up your wife to Christmas music. You turn up the bluetooth speaker she got you last Christmas. This makes your daughters bounce on the couch, which you don’t usually allow.. She comes down wearing your housecoat and looks tired. She had worked a late Christmas Eve treating a kid, lucky to only have a broken arm, having climbed the roof to check the chimney for Santa’s Christmas visit. She kisses you and cosies into your arms. ‘Look Daddy,’ Your nine year holds up the box she had unwrapped. ‘It’s your present,’ she said. The box is emblazoned with words ‘Chem2000. Experimental Kit.’ Wow a chemistry set you laugh. What a great idea. I’ve always wanted a chemistry set. You smile into your daughters upturned face and say, ‘We can learn something new together.’ You remember the chemistry set that David had stolen. You remember you had taken the kit out onto the bed that Saturday morning and imagined becoming a chemistry person. You would have a white coat like the kid on the box and maybe work in nuclear. ‘Richard is here,’ your mum called. She would have been at the front door. You knew Richard’s parents would be there too. You were planning to explain everything to them that morning. To rid yourself of the whole injustice of it all. To spill the beans and let Richard and David have it. Richard would have to face David with the truth, but that was what being a detective was all about, revealing the truth. But when you reached the door Richard was alone. ‘Hi,’ you said. ‘Are you coming? ' asked Richard, looking over his shoulder to his parents standing on the road waiting at a distance, you changed your mind. ‘Do you have the stuff,’ Richard asked nervously. You ran through in your mind what would happen if you said no, if you decided not to go to the pharmacy with Richard and his parents and instead just stayed-in to watch Saturday morning cartoons. You closed the door on Richard and stood there, leaving Richard to wait outside. You savoured the moment, the thought of cooking-up some dynamite with your new chemistry set flashed across your brain. But you opened the door. ‘Come on,’ said Richard. You looked over to Richard’s parents you saw Mr.Bradley had moved hands on his hips and looked authoritative even from 200 feet away.

The pharmacy always looked clean and smelled of soap and cardboard. Mr. Bradley led the way down the toy aisle. You remember seeing the chemistry sets and the boy with the white lab coat staring back at you. Your mum had said she wasn’t going to come, but that you should go and learn a good lesson with Richard. The thumping in your ear must have been part of the lesson. But there was still a chance to clear your name. At the very least you could and would explain to the pharmacist what really happened. That way you could make sure that Richard wouldn’t get beat up by David and still declare your innocents, before the police came.

Mr. Bradly thumbs in the direction of the pharmacist who scrutinised you from behind his wireframe glasses. You and Richard approach the towering pharmacy counter with your bags of toys stretched out in front of you. The pharmacist's arm reached down for the bags and seemed much longer than it should in comparison to his bald head. Richard you see is trembling and has difficulty saying that he is ‘so very sorry,’ and that he ‘won’t do it again, ever’. The pharmacist looked down at you. He waited. You waited. You waited maybe for 10 seconds thinking. But it seemed longer. ‘Sorry,’ you said finally. ‘But my family is poor,’ you said and your Mother is dying of cancer. The pharmacist’s eyebrow raised above the wire of his glasses in a scientific discovery sort of way. You told the pharmacist that the chemistry set was a way in which you might learn a new job, but that yes you knew it was wrong to steal. You had looked over to Richard for a second. He had stopped sniffling and was looking at you with his mouth open. ‘It is wrong,’ said the pharmacist after what felt like a long time. You stole a glance over to see Mr. Bradley had his hands on his hips in a good citizen kind of way, far enough away to not not be able to hear you. You lowered your voice just in case and said, ‘These are Christmas presents for my sisters. My Dad just doesn’t make much money for Christmas. He wants Christmas. He really does, but selling stolen cigarettes and medicine for the pharmacy isn’t enough.’ The pharmacist’s other eyebrow raised up slowly so that both eyebrows created a stupid face appearance. The stupid face floated there there, up above the coutner for maybe 5 seconds but it felt longer. ‘I think you know him, ' you said finally. ‘He drives a blue El Camino and comes and meets you at the back door.

The picture of Gerardo in a white coat formed in your mind and began to fade out, fade to nothing with the thumping of your ears, faded out like a memory. The only thing left to say then was, ‘’Can you give my Dad a job?’