A Matter of Conviction

(The Thunderbirds reach for Alfredo. He strikes out at them, but his punches are ineffectual in the water. Batman seizes him from behind.)

TOWER: Shove him under!

(Batman pushes down on Alfredo’s shoulders, shoving him beneath the surface of the water. Alfredo pushes up again, his mouth open for air, and another boy strikes him, and then Batman seizes his hair and pushes down with all his might. Another boy closes in, adding the force of his arms to Batman’s. A bubble breaks the surface of the water. The pool is terribly still. The lifeguard weighs his responsibility — someone is likely to drown out there — and then decides his responsibility does not extend this far. He comes down off the chair, though, and sidles away from the crowd in search of a cop.)

DANNY: Okay, let him up. That’s enough.

TOWER: Hold him!

DANNY: You’re going to drown him! Let him up!

TOWER: I said hold him!

(Another air bubble breaks the surface. The boys stand in a silent circle. Beneath the water, held tightly by Batman and the other boy, Alfredo struggles, but he cannot break the grip. Then he stops struggling.)

DANNY: Let him go! He’s drowning, can’t you see?

TOWER: He’s faking! He’s holding his breath.

DANNY: Damnit, you’re gonna kill him! Tower, let him go!

TOWER: Shut up!

(Beneath the surface, Alfredo is beginning to go limp, his eyes opening wide in terror. From the water fountain, Frankie senses the sudden silence of the pool. He turns, takes one look and then says “Mira!” and the other Puerto Rican boys turn, and then they break into a trot toward the pool’s edge. They do not stop at the lip. Led by Frankie, they dive into the water, striking first at Batman and the boy holding Alfredo under. Alfredo, released, surfaces, grabs for the lip of the pool, and feebly sucks in air. In the pool, the boys are fighting now, cursing loudly. The girls around the edges of the pool are screaming. The lifeguard rushes back with a policeman. The sound of his whistle splits the air.)

“Then Tower started it all, is that right?” Hank said.

“Damn right, he started it,” Frankie said. “And we weren’t doing nothing, either. Just swimming. So he got us all hauled down the station house, that dumb jerk. And for what? Just so he could be a big man.”

“Did Danny actually resist Tower’s command?”

“What do you mean?”

“Did he try to save this boy Alfredo?”

“I didn’t even know he was there,” Frankie said. “I just found out today, same as you did.”

“He was there,” Gargantua said. “Some guys told me he was yelling they should let Alfie go. That’s what I heard around, anyway. He ain’t really a Thunderbird, you know. He just kind of hangs out with them.”

“He oughta choose his friends better,” Frankie said. “They all stink, every one of them. You ever meet the president of that club?”

“No. Who’s he?” Hank said.

“A guy named Big Dom. He’s really a little shrimp. You could fit him in your side pocket.” Frankie shook his head. “I don’t know where they dug him up, I swear to God. Ain’t a president supposed to have leadership qualities? Not that I’m a big leader, but this Dominick character is strictly for the sparrows. Argggh, they’re a nowhere club altogether.”

“You’d do good to send them three to the chair, Mr. Bell,” Gargantua said.