We were dividing the day's spoil when we heard Stanley's stifled sobs. Clutching the bag of money we got the whole day, we hurried to the direction and met his head buried on his thighs.

His chest trembled. His eyes were a picture of a broken hope.

" You told me we were missing children," he pointed an accusatory finger at his older brother. “ The woman I begged for money today says she blames my irresponsible mother.”

Nathan gulped down with difficulty. He threw the bag on the floor and ran away. I knew their story as well as mine. We were children connected by the street. We begged for a living, but how we arrived here was a storm tale.

Others were gone, and I was left alone with him. I didn't know the right words to say. No one taught me.

I took his hand and led him to a corner of the street where some lame people passed the night.

“ That is Lizzie's father. The other by the small lantern is Samuel's.”

I continued the story of how ten of us became a pack in a month. He was a quiet breath, but his eyes had not cleared. I could tell he wanted to know how he ended up here.

We waited for Nathan to return until the night was far spent. Stanley became worried. He couldn't picture being alone without the boy who has taken several punches for him, defending him on the street. 

The sound of debris crunching beneath shuffling feet knocked sleep out of our eyes. It was Nathan, but he was not alone. The whole pack had gathered.

We ate in silence that night . It wasn't much, but those cooked grains with sprinkled stew was a feast to us.

I nudged Stanley to meet his brother and he was gone in a blink. 

" Mother was not irresponsible," I heard Nathan say. With everyone asleep, the brothers had the stars for company. I laid there, quiet and attentive. 

“ It was an accident. Our father had a fight with her. She didn't survive it.”

For the rest of a crawling hour, I listened to how their father fled with his two sons, and abandoned them in a motor park nearby. Nathan said he was terrified.

That was how he became a parent to Stanley who was two years at the time.

The boys returned inside. I sat up, and lighted the candle by my corner. To my surprise, several candles came alive, flickering in the crowded space. They were awake all along.

I watched the two oldest boys in our pack as they emptied their pockets. The others followed, including me. 

Nathan pulled out his, and laid it out. I was as confused as he was.

One of the oldest boys cleared his throat. He spoke of school resumption. Talked about paying  the fees of our youngest. That was Stanley.

" The pack takes care of it's own," he said with pride. That nght, we decded on choosing a trade. We would support each other. No matter how long it took us, we were determined to see ourselves off the street.