Thunder and Lightening: Chapter 23Home « Thunder and Lightening Index « Previous

- Chapter 23

Posted: December 15, 2004 - 12:01:14 am



"Dad," said Bill as his father entered the house from work, "Abe came over and

said we were invited over to dinner tonight."

Jerry settled heavily into his chair, tired from another busy Saturday. It

didn't help that he had been out late the night before. He answered, "That's

nice of Sharon. I better go to the store and pick up some drinks."

"Abe said that you shouldn't bother bringing anything over. She's happy about

her new car and wants to thank you for teaching Martin how to fix it up old

cars," replied Bill. He grinned as he added, "Abe mentioned that Henry would be

there too."

The comment made Jerry grin, as he was well aware that Sharon was actively

trying to entice Henry into something a little more permanent than the big black

man was interested in having. He said, "It'll be nice to talk to Henry."

"You guys talk all the time. You were over at his house until midnight last

night," countered Bill. He had ridden his scooter over there and seen the latest

indoor wall fountain the two men had built. It was really an outstanding piece

of work.

"Hey, Henry wanted to deliver the wall fountain to the customer today. We had to

finish it," said Jerry. The fountain was bringing in ten thousand dollars. After

taking into account the cost of materials, they'd make four thousand each. This

was their third one and they had learned a lot after the first two.

"I think Abe's mom would be happy if Henry was over at her place on Friday

nights," Bill joked. He had listened to Abe tease his mother about catching her

kissing Henry. She had to threaten him with a severe beating before he had

relented.

Jerry replied, "Is Abe upset about the idea of his mother dating Henry?"

"Hell no. Henry is an important guy around here," replied Bill. He had noticed

that all of the kids in the neighborhood stood up straighter around Henry and

everyone called him sir.

The comment brought a smile to Jerry's face. Everyone respected Henry in this

neighborhood. The fact that he and Henry were friends had eased a lot of tension

in the area and prevented some of the hotheads from acting violent. He was about

to comment when he heard the sound of a scooter pull up in front of the house

and saw the reaction of his son. "Go ahead."

Bill smiled and headed out of the house. Within a minute, Jerry heard the sound

of the scooter starting and the pair driving off. After changing his clothes, he

grabbed a coke and went out to the porch appreciating the spring weather. His

comings and goings were no longer news. The elderly across the street either

ignored him or waved to him. He waved back to those that noticed him.

The sky was a clear blue broken only by little tufts of white clouds. A jet

contrail cut through the sky and appeared to glow magically. The oak tree was

sending forth leaves that in a few weeks would provide lots of shade. The front

lawn was still a disaster area, but he wasn't about to go through the hassle of

planting grass. He had never entered the backyard because it was a wild mess of

weeds. For all he knew, there could be a body hidden in it.

His private musings were interrupted by the arrival of Henry. The huge black man

asked, "Got another one of those?"

"Sure do," replied Jerry as he started to rise.

"Don't bother getting up. I'll help myself."

A minute later, the black man settled on the porch beside Jerry and opened the

can. With a grin, he took a sip and then said, "That neighbor of yours wants to

tie me down."

"A scrawny guy like you? I wonder what she sees in you," remarked Jerry with a

straight face.

"Women go crazy over my bald head," replied Henry just as seriously.

Both of them broke out laughing with the ease of men that had traded a

long-standing joke. Jerry noticed that Mr. Atkins was crossing the street and

heading towards them. "I wonder what Mr. Atkins wants."

Henry looked up and saw the old man shuffling his way across the street. Even as

Jerry stood, Henry said, "We should probably meet him halfway."

The pair of men walked to the street presenting a sight that would frighten

people who didn't know them. Over five hundred pounds of muscle walking side by

side, both looking threatening by nature and prejudice. Frowning, Mr. Atkins

stopped and said, "Boys, there's a meetin' at ma house tonight at eight. Both ya

be dere. Bring that olda boy from next doo' ov'r wit ya."

Respectful, both Jerry and Henry replied, "Yes, sir."

Mr. Atkins turned with a frown on his face and headed back across the street.

The two big men stood there watching him go with puzzled expressions. Before the

old black man made it to his porch, Jerry and Henry returned to the porch. After

sitting down, a very worried Henry said, "Some big must be happening."

"Why?"

"The only time Mr. Atkins holds a meeting at his house is when something ugly is

about to happen. Last time was when there were all them riots in town when the

cops killed that kid. This was the only area where there wasn't a problem. He

called us together to make sure that folks stayed in their houses," replied

Henry.

"Smart man," replied Jerry.

"Hell, he was scared. He's seen stuff in his life that most of us can't

imagine," replied Henry. Shaking his head, he said, "To tell the truth, I'm

surprised that he invited you to attend."

Stories had been told in the area about Mr. Atkins and he had listened to them

trying to better understand his neighbor. The stories suggested that his father

had been hung by the KKK and that he had been forced to watch his mother get

raped one night when they went to see a movie. He had bowed to whites his entire

life, hating them with a passion the whole time. Jerry understood rage, but not

hate. He figured they were close enough that he could deal with a man that

hated, even if he was the subject of that hate. Nodding his agreement, he said,

"Me too."

The pair sat there thinking their own thoughts. Jerry asked, "What do you think

Martin is going to say when he finds out that he's been invited?"

"I'm not worried about him. I'm more worried about his mother is going to say,"

answered Henry. He looked over at Jerry and said, "It's not good when you get

invited. It's time to act like a man. If you fail Mr. Atkins, nobody will listen

to a word you say after that."

The sound of scooters broke the silence that had fallen over the men. Jerry

looked over and saw the boys returning from the store with bags of groceries

strapped onto the rear carrier. They pulled up in the front yard and came to a

stop in front of the men. Abe said, "Mom's expecting you over at the house for

dinner now that we are back."

Jerry stood and locked the door of the house. Henry and he walked next door

while the boys rode their scooters thirty feet to park them at the door. Abe

held the door open for everyone after announcing their presence to everyone in

the house. Henry shook his head and said, "You sure are lazy. Riding that bike

such a short distance."

"Hey, we had groceries."

"Where are they?" asked Henry with a smile.

The two boys looked at each other for a second and went back outside after

realizing that they had forgotten to bring the bags in the house. Martin came

out in the living room and greeted them, "Come on into the kitchen. Mom is

setting the table."

The two large men entered the kitchen and it suddenly got a lot smaller. Sharon

looked at them and said, "You two sit at the ends where you'll have plenty of

elbow room."

The men sat down at the table to be out of the way. The boys returned with their

two bags of groceries and set them on the counter. Sharon said, "You boys wash

your hands and then sit at the table out of the way."

Jerry winked at Henry and said, "Sounds to me like you need a man around here to

keep the kids under control."

Henry held up a hand to hide his mouth from Sharon and, with exaggerated

motions, moved his mouth to say, "Thanks a lot, buddy."

Sharon grinned but didn't turn around, pretending to be busy with cooking. She

said, "The thought never crossed my mind."

Jerry burst out laughing at the look on Henry's face. Neither one of them

believed her for a minute. The boys returned from washing their hands and sat

down at the table. Martin came in and helped his mother carry the food to the

table. It was a spectacular meal with fried chicken, greens, mashed potatoes,

gravy, and corn bread. The food was piled high on the plates. After she and

Martin sat down, she said, "Dig in guys."

Sharon stared in shock at the chaos that ensued. Forks spearing pieces of

chicken flew out as spoons filled with potatoes and greens were used to load

individual plates. It was a madhouse of activity as everyone grabbed food and

piled it on their plate. She burst out laughing as she said, "This looks like a

boarding house scene out of a movie."

Jerry laughed as he took a slice of corn bread. Together, Abe and Bill replied,

"We're growing boys."

Henry shook his head and filled his glass with iced tea. Once plates were filled

with food, everyone started to eat. The only sounds to be heard were forks

scrapping across the plates and groans of contentment as bellies filled. Henry

and Jerry refilled their plates and ate some more as Sharon watched. After

clearing their second plate of food, the two large men sat back with contented

sighs. Jerry said, "That was outstanding."

"You feed a man that kind of food and he's not going to want to leave," said

Henry. Almost as soon as the words were out of his mouth, he started blushing as

he realized what he had said.

Abe, one never to let an opportunity to tease someone pass, said, "Mom, sounds

like your plan is working."

Martin winked and said, "The fastest way to a man's heart is through his

stomach."

Sharon threw her napkin across the table at Martin, but didn't comment. Jerry

changed the subject and asked, "So what's the news on the bike?"

Abe sat up and said, "I found a 1938 Indian Sport Scout on the web at the

library and won a bid on it for two fifty. It's in pretty bad shape and missing

some parts, but I know that it'll fix up real nice."

Sharon smiled and said, "He gave me the money to pay for it earlier today. It

supposed to be shipped to us at the end of the week."

Henry said, "Never heard of an Indian Sport Scout."

"Oh, they were the main competitor of Harley-Davidson in the early days of

motorcycles. I like the way they look." Abe started talking about the Indian

motorcycle company and the kinds of bikes they had built.

It was easy to tell that the young man had researched the motorcycle. That

didn't surprise Jerry as he recognized that the young man really was interested

in motorcycles. Sharon had balked, but given in after she realized that if he

had spent the time and effort to fix up the motorcycle himself that he wouldn't

be reckless when he drove it. When Abe wound down, Jerry turned to Bill and

asked, "Did you look for a car on the web?"

"Yeah, I did. I found a nice 1952 Pontiac Chieftain."

"Sounds to me like we have an Indian theme going on here," replied Jerry with a

grin. He was very familiar with the car and would buy it.

Bill grinned and held up his hand, palm side out, as he said, "How! Him Scout.

Me Chief."

Abe turned to Bill and said, "Chief, Big black man already been scalped."

Henry broke out in laughter and said, "Young brave or chief try to scalp this

big man, he get bottom paddled."

Laughing, Martin stood and said, "I hate to say this, but I've got to go. I'm

meeting Howard tonight."

Jerry glanced at the end of the table catching Henry's eye and said, "You might

want to call Howard and let him know that you're going to be late."

"Why?" asked Martin surprised that Jerry would interfere in his life without

being asked.

Henry answered, "Because you've been invited to a meeting at Mr. Atkins' house."

All laughter stopped around the table at the announcement. Abe stared at his

brother with his mouth open, unable to believe what he had heard. Martin slowly

sank back into his chair, as his legs threatened to give out on him. Bill looked

around the room puzzled by the reaction of everyone. The silence was shattered

when Sharon said, "Shit. You can't be serious. He's still young."

"Mr. Atkins specifically told us to bring him with us when we came over at eight

tonight."

If the news about Martin being invited was a shock to Susan, then the news that

Jerry had been invited was the equivalent to an atom bomb being detonated in the

living room. She looked over at him and asked, "He invited you?"

"Yes, he did."

Abe swore, "Shit. We better find a bomb shelter."

Still confused, Bill asked, "Huh?"

Martin shook his head in disbelief and looked over at Jerry. He said, "Any idea

what this is about?"

"None."

Henry concurred, "No idea."

Frustrated, Bill asked, "Would someone tell me what is going on?"

Henry turned to Bill and answered, "Mr. Atkins is the unofficial law and order

in this part of town. When he calls a meeting in his house, that means that the

shit is about to hit the fan."

"Mr. Atkins doesn't like whites," added Jerry. He paused and corrected himself.

"That's not quite correct. Mr. Atkins hates whites. They hung his father and

raped his mother when he was a kid. That he invited me over despite the fact

that I'm white suggests this is really bad."

Sharon looked over at Jerry in surprise. She hadn't known that he knew a little

of the history of Mr. Atkins. "You knew?"

"I figured it out from little odds and ends that people said about him," replied

Jerry. Shrugging, he said, "He has a right to his feelings and I can deal with

that. I understand rage and figure hate is pretty close to it. It isn't the

person that it is aimed at that is to blame, just the history that instilled

it."

Henry looked across the table at Jerry pleased with what he heard. If Mr. Atkins

got angry with Jerry, he knew that Jerry wouldn't hold it against him. There

were some things that you just had to accept even if they weren't your fault.

His attitude would earn him some respect in the neighborhood.

Martin had listened to the exchange with wide eyes. He had just learned details

about Mr. Atkins that he had never known and they explained a lot about how the

old man acted. In a soft voice, he said, "Let me call Howard."

The atmosphere in the room reminded Jerry of a funeral. The men were solemn

sitting in their chairs without talking. All eyes focused on Jerry when he

entered, as though to say that he would have to prove himself this day or his

time in this neighborhood was over. A few looked at him wondering if he was the

reason that this meeting was being called. A number of them nodded a greeting in

the direction of Henry, but Jerry didn't get that kind of reception.

Mr. Atkins sat in his chair with a frown as if he were passing a kidney stone at

the idea of having a white man in his house. Looking at Jerry, he pointed to a

kitchen chair directly opposite of his to indicate where the large man should

sit. Jerry nodded his head and sat in the chair. Seeing that no one else said a

word, he didn't talk.

From his chair, Jerry looked around the room taking in the furnishings. The room

was crowded with chairs including some brought in from the kitchen. The carpet

was old and worn, but not dirty. The average style of furniture dated back to

the fifties and were covered with the nicks and scratches accumulated over forty

to fifty years. It made him wonder what his house would look like to others when

he was eighty something.

He took a minute to examine the men in the room. Martin looked worried and sat

on the edge of his chair. Henry was his normal large self, but was trying to

look bigger. An overweight black man sat in a chair with his hands folded over

his belly and breathing hard. A couple of men, possibly brothers, were moving

their hands nervously. They were both thin, but muscular. Two other men struck

him as average guys. They sat there looking around wide- eyed at being there.

A small elderly black man entered the room and looked around. Spotting Jerry, he

asked, "Wass da cracker doin' heah?"

All eyes turned to Jerry even though it was Mr. Atkins who answered, "I toll 'em

ta come."

The elderly man sat down in a chair and glared at Jerry with distrust. The

silence returned to the room. Jerry glanced over at Mr. Atkins and saw that the

old man was studying him. He wondered if the old man was trying to judge his

reaction to being called a cracker. Jerry didn't smile or frown, but kept his

face neutral deciding that it wasn't worth making an issue of the attitudes of

two old men.

When everyone started shifting, uncomfortable by the tension in the room, Mr.

Atkins hit the floor with his cane. Without preamble, he said, "Day's puttin' a

drug house on da corna."

It took a minute for Jerry to figure out that the old man had said that someone

was setting up a crack house on the corner of the block. The idea that they

would have a crack house on his street angered him. The others expressed their

displeasure, but Jerry remained silent trying to figure out where he fit into

this whole discussion. Mr. Atkins asked, "Cracka', wha' ya tink ya shud do?"

Again, it took Jerry some time to understand that he was being asked for his

ideas on how to react to the situation. Jerry answered, "I'll do what everyone

here thinks is right."

The other old man cackled and exclaimed, "A cracka takin' ordas from a nigger!

Tha's rich."

Mr. Atkins asked, "Wha' ya tink a takin' ordas from niggers?"

Jerry knew the two old men were baiting him. He looked at each man in the room

directly in the eyes as though assessing each. Sitting forward, he answered, "I

don't see any niggers here. I see neighbors and I think neighbors should work

together."

Henry sat back and laughed in relief at the answer. His laughter was joined by

that of others and the tension in the room evaporated. Mr. Atkins said, "It's

got ta go."

The other men in the room voiced their agreement with that sentiment. The real

question was how to go about it. The fat guy said, "Can't call the man on them."

Jerry frowned trying to figure out what that meant. It was clarified when one of

the two average looking guys said, "That's right. Can't call the cops on a

brother."

The guy next to him said, "We tell them to leave."

"What if they don't leave?" asked Martin worried about what was being suggested.

The old man said, "We sho 'em thas we's serious."

Jerry didn't like the direction the discussion was headed. He wondered how they

would show who ever owned the crack house that they were serious. It would be so

much better if they would call the cops and let them handle it. Showing anger

for the first time, Mr. Atkins said, "We beats the sheet outta em."

Henry, already knowing the answer, asked, "And if that don't work?"

Mr. Atkins answered, "I kill them."

Jerry sat back shocked at the old man's answer. It was the first sentence that

the old man had spoken that he understood without effort. Martin's eyes were

huge like saucers. He was unable to accept that they were discussing killing

someone. All of the other men looked at each other and nodded their agreement.

Jerry frowned and asked, "Why are you the one that will kill him?"

"I'm old," replied Mr. Atkins.

The fat man explained, "He won't be the one that pulls the trigger, but he's the

one that will take the blame. He believes that he won't live long enough to have

to go to prison."

Jerry looked around the room wondering which of the men would be the one that

pulled the trigger. He knew that no one in that room would ever tell him. Mr.

Atkins asked, "Who's gonna go wit me to talk at em?"

Deciding that if big enough men were there, that they could avoid escalating it

to the next level Jerry raised his hand. Henry nodded, happy that Jerry hadn't

balked, and raised his hand. The fat man raised his hand. Martin looked around

and raised his hand. Mr. Atkins said, "Not ya, boy. You'se gonna watch an

learn."

"Yes, sir," replied Martin wondering what he was supposed to learn.

"Day's be dere ta-mar-ra," said Mr. Atkins looking around the room, "be heah

when day come."

Returning home, Jerry opened the door and found Bill watching television. He

frowned and said, "Why don't you go over and talk to Abe for a bit?"

Bill looked at the faces of the three men and decided that it would be best if

he didn't argue. Nodding his head, he said, "Okay."

Martin and Henry sat down on the floor of the room and looked over at Jerry. The

big man looked around and then asked, "What in the fuck is this all about?"

"Closing down a crack house," replied Henry.

"I'm not talking about closing down a fucking crack house, I'm talking about the

fact that we're talking about killing someone!" replied Jerry in an angry voice.

He had a good job and this was not something in which he wanted to be involved.

The same held true for Martin and he didn't want the young man involved.

Henry looked over at Martin for a minute and said, "Martin, I'm spending the

night at your house. You are going to be by my side all night and all day until

this goes down."

"Why?"

"So you don't tell anyone what I'm about to say," replied Henry.

Jerry listened and realized that there was more going on here than met the eye.

He looked over at Martin who said, "I'm supposed to watch and learn. That's what

Mr. Atkins said."

"Exactly. For now, I want you to listen," replied Henry. After a nod from

Martin, he continued, "About now the guys who are opening the crack house have

found out about what was discussed in the meeting. Tomorrow when we talk with

them, it is up to us to make sure that they believe we are serious."

Jerry smiled and said, "I get it. When they know we are serious, then they'll

believe that we'll kill them."

"Right. If they don't leave after our little chat, we're going to have to beat

the shit out of them to convince them that we are serious. They'll leave before

the situation reaches the point where it is necessary to kill someone." Henry

looked over at Jerry to see how he was taking the news.

Jerry understood that, but there was still the chance that the guys wouldn't

leave. Escalating it to the level of killing was a major step and one that it

was highly unlikely the bad guys would believe they would be willing to take.

"So what if they don't leave?"

"I'm pretty sure that they'll leave. A decade ago a dealer that didn't leave got

killed. Everyone in the area knows that, with the exception of some of the

younger kids around here and you."

Jerry knew that didn't answer the question and asked, "Suppose they are really

stupid and stay?"

Henry looked up and said, "Then I guess Mr. Atkins will do something."

Jerry shook his head and replied, "That's what I'm afraid of."

Martin, Jerry, and Henry sat on the porch watching the activity in the

neighborhood. The fat man from the meeting the previous night meandered up the

street, pausing on occasion to check out some sight that appeared interesting to

him. Reaching Jerry's place, he stopped to check out the truck and nodded his

head as he examined it. His curiosity satisfied, the man waddled over to the

porch and sat down beside Martin. The porch complained at the additional weight.

Jerry looked over at the man, thinking that it would be totally beyond belief if

the man's name was Albert. Since introductions hadn't been made the previous

night, Jerry said, "I'm Jerry Smith."

The fat man looked over at him and replied, "I know."

Henry laughed and said, "That's Otis."

"Nice to meet you, Otis." Jerry wondered what was the story behind the fat man.

It was obvious that he commanded considerable respect among the men in the

neighborhood.

Otis shifted and asked, "Would you be helping us if your son wasn't living

here?"

"Of course," replied Jerry thinking about Abe. Some of the other kids in the

neighborhood were good kids as well, despite the fact that they viewed

themselves as losers. He pointed to the house next door and said, "There are

other kids that would be affected."

Otis shook his head as if he couldn't believe the answer. He looked over at

Henry and saw that the black man was nodding his head supporting what his friend

had said. Otis replied, "Sure is strange for a white man to care so much about a

bunch of black kids."

Jerry shrugged and turned to watch the activity across the street. Martin felt

like he should defend Jerry, but a glance from Henry prevented him. Jerry

considered what they were about to do and didn't like it one bit. The police

were there to handle situations like this and what they were going to do was

pretty close to illegal. Asking them to move was one thing, beating them was

another, and killing them was another yet again. The first he could do, but the

others were beyond him. This was vigilante justice.

When a Lexis pulled up at the house on the corner, Jerry frowned as he realized

that his landlord was probably the person behind the drugs in the neighborhood.

His hands formed into fists, knuckles cracking in the process, as the rage

threatened to rise within him. He muttered, "I'm gonna use his head for a soccer

ball."

Grinning at Jerry's reaction, Otis said, "Don't be angry. Angry won't do. You

gotta be mean to do this."

Henry growled when he saw Joe and Kenny walking down the street towards the

house on the corner. Kenny was the kid that had broken into the house in an

attempt to steal Jerry's tools. Martin had grown up with both of those kids and

the thought that he was involved in this made him sick to his stomach. Jerry

didn't know that much about Joe other than the fact that he was around when

Kenny had been shot. Jerry realized he should have suspected that those two kids

were a part of setting up the crack house.

Henry said, "That fucking Kenny. You'd think he'd learned his lesson when he got

shot by that dealer."

Mr. Atkins stood up from his porch across the street and started walking down

the block towards the corner house. His progress was slow and he had to walk

around the potholes rather than step in them or over them. The three big men

stood up to join Mr. Atkins. Jerry paused and then handed his cell phone to

Martin saying, "Just in case."

Martin looked at the cell phone and swallowed heavily. This was just too real

for him to handle. He watched as the three big men made their way across the

street. A chill went down his spine as he thought about trying to face them down

in a major confrontation. Those three guys working together could probably throw

a small car ten feet.

The men caught up with Mr. Atkins and made their way to the front of the house.

Kenny and Joe came out to the porch. Kenny asked, "What cha' want?"

Mr. Atkins, looking over the kid with disgust evident on his face, answered,

"Don't wan' no drug house heah."

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