Thunder and Lightening: Chapter 37Home « Thunder and Lightening Index « Previous

- Chapter 37

Posted: April 24, 2005 - 12:21:09 am



Melissa stepped out of the house and looked up at the sky. A shiver ran through

her body at the sight. The heavy clouds hung low in the sky threatening all

beneath them. The gray light that managed to filter through the overcast sky

washed away the color giving the world a black and white appearance. Despite her

heavy coat, the cold air chilled her to the bone.

She turned at the sound of Jerry and Bill exiting the front door. In a soft

voice, she said, "I don't like the look of this day. Be careful at the trial."

Surprised by her concern, Bill asked, "Are you worried?"

"Yes, I am. I don't trust her," answered Melissa looking away from her brother.

It hurt her to say that aloud to her father and brother.

"We'll be okay," said Jerry putting a hand on Bill's shoulder in a gesture

intended to reassure the young man.

"I'd like to come with you," said Melissa thinking that her presence would

prevent anything too bad from happening.

Jerry thought about it for a moment. This was the first time that she had

reached out to be involved in something concerning her brother. He said, "I

don't see any reason for you not to come. I'll pick you both up from school at

noon."

"Thank you," said Melissa with relief evident in her voice. She had a very bad

feeling about the trial. No one knew her mother better than she did and she had

no doubts that her mother would try something at the trial.

Jerry pointed to the Camaro and said, "Let's get you to school so that I can get

to work in time to open the store."

The drive to school passed uneventfully. After dropping off the kids, Jerry

returned to the store. He couldn't wait for them to move to the house so that he

wouldn't have to leave so early in the morning on those days when he had to open

the store. A round trip across town during rush hour was not a great way to

start the day. He imagined that the kids would enjoy not having to leave for

school so early as well.

After entering the store, he went through the process of preparing it for

opening. It took a little longer to open the store since he now had to boot up

the computers. As the machines booted, he went through the store checking the

cash in the register, unlocking the door, and turning off the answering machine.

He sat at the chair and watched the computer load the sales program. It took a

few minutes before it replied with a confirmation that it had connected to the

server. The store was ready to open.

The noise as Martin entered through the back door shattered the quiet. Martin

called out, "I'm here. Mike and Karen are on their way in."

Having seen everyone drive up, Martin had told him nothing that he hadn't known.

Jerry called back, "Good."

Martin made his way to the front of his store and slipped into the chair beside

Jerry. He looked tired and said, "Another day another dollar."

"You look tired. How's school going?"

Martin was worried about passing his classes. They were far more work than he

had anticipated. High school had been a breeze compared to college. He answered,

"I have a test tonight. I stayed up late last night studying for it."

Jerry laughed at the fact that Martin was complaining about staying up too late.

Before going to school, Martin would often stay out late looking for women and

wouldn't complain. He asked, "So are you ready to start working part-time so

that you can spend more time on school?"

The young black man studied Jerry for a minute before he answered, "Not yet. I'm

not taking a full course load."

"Do what you think is best. We'll manage," replied Jerry with a grin.

The telephone rang and Jerry picked it up to take the order. Martin waited by

the printer for the printout to pull the order. Before it was ready, Mike had

come up to the front of the store. He greeted Martin and waited for Jerry to get

off the phone. When Jerry got off the phone, Mike said, "I've got a couple of

things to tell you. First, I've got two candidates coming in for an interview

this morning. They'll be in around eleven and I thought you'd like a chance to

talk to them before you leave."

"I won't have much time to interview them since I have to leave by eleven thirty

if I'm going to make it in time to pick up the kids by noon," said Jerry.

"Then I guess you should talk to them before me," said Mike wondering if he

should have set up the interviews for a different day.

"I guess so," said Jerry.

"Second thing is that Mr. Sinclair called last night after you left and wanted

to talk to you. He said that it wasn't necessary for him to talk to you right

away, but that you should call him today."

"Mr. Sinclair called? I wonder what he wants," Jerry mused. Wednesdays had

become his normal day to report on the previous week's sales.

"I don't know. Why don't you go call Mr. Sinclair now and I'll watch the phone,"

suggested Mike.

The telephone rang and Jerry let Mike pick it up. He went into the office and

pulled together the paperwork that he normally used when reporting on sales. The

previous day he had generated a number of sales charts using the programs that

Karen had developed for him. They showed the changes in sales figures on a

daily, monthly, and annual basis. The numbers all looked good.

Jerry dialed the number of his boss. When Al answered, Jerry said, "Hello Al.

This is Jerry."

"Ah, Jerry. It's good to hear from you. I tried to catch you last night, but you

had already left," replied Al.

The rustle of papers being shuffled could be heard over the handset. Jerry said,

"I've got the weekly report ready for you."

"We'll get to that in due time. Ah... Here it is," said Al. There was more

rustling of papers before his boss continued, "I just finished going over the

third quarter figures yesterday. First, let me say that you were the first one

to get your figures into headquarters. Your paperwork looked great."

"Thanks. I tried to be accurate," said Jerry a little confused by the

conversation.

"No, I don't mean that. I meant that your paperwork really looked nice. All of

the figures were typed and there was no room for misunderstanding."

"Oh," replied Jerry surprised by the comment. He had generated the report using

the computer.

"You may not realize this, but I spent almost three weeks trying to make out the

numbers that people sent me. Fours that looked like sevens. Nines that looked

like fours. You wouldn't believe how much work that is for me," said Al with a

chuckle. After receiving Jerry's report, he was completely convinced that the

computers were worth the investment.

"I'm glad," said Jerry still confused.

"Your numbers were the best in the chain. Your store had the greatest

improvement in sales and the lowest inventory of any our stores. The

improvements in the inventory numbers are the most significant. You wouldn't

believe how much money this company has sitting around as inventory that doesn't

turn over fast enough."

Jerry had realized that and said, "Well, the computer has really helped us in

managing our inventory. We know exactly what we have, how many of each item

we've been selling, and how much to order."

"You'll earn yourself a nice little bonus based at the end of the year if you

keep up the good numbers," commented Al Sinclair. He said, "When you open your

paycheck this week, you'll find that you've already earned one on your

performance for the quarter."

"Wow, thanks," said Jerry surprised by the news. He couldn't recall ever getting

a bonus for a quarterly report.

"You should be pleased. We don't normally give out quarterly bonuses."

The unusual nature of the bonus made him wonder how much it was. He said, "I'm

honored."

"I have another little request to make of you," said Al. Even over the phone,

Jerry swore he could hear the smile on his boss's face.

"What can I do for you?"

"I'd like you and Karen to put together a full list of the equipment that you

are using along with the programs. We'd like to try it out in another store and

see if we get the same results at that store," said Al.

Frowning, Jerry said, "I'll be glad to do that, but it will take a little

training for people to be able to use it effectively."

Al replied, "I fully expect that Mike and Karen will make a trip to install the

computers and then train people on how to use it."

The timing of the request was horrible. It was October and he was planning on

getting married. He had hoped to take a few days off for a honeymoon. Halloween

was coming and Karen would want to be around for her kids. After that it would

be Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years. Everyone would want to take as many

days off as possible to do his or her holiday errands. He asked, "When will you

want all this?"

"I figure it will take you a couple of weeks to get all of the information that

we need. While you're doing that, I'll pick out a store to install it in. We'll

have to purchase the equipment and software. That'll take a while. Don't really

want to do the installation and training during the holiday season. I figure

we'll be ready for it all at the beginning of the year," answered Al.

Jerry's sigh of relief was audible over the phone and provoked a chuckle from

his boss. Embarrassed, Jerry said, "Good planning."

Rather than comment on the assumption that he'd do it wrong, Al said, "Besides,

you're getting married soon. Hate to interrupt your honeymoon just so that you

can cover the absence of your assistant manager."

"Did you get your invitation?"

"Yes I did. My wife and I will be attending," answered Al. The arrival of the

wedding invitation the previous week had been a major surprise.

"Good, I'll let Jenny know that you're coming," said Jerry. He glanced down at

the stack of paper that he had to report and then at his watch. He hoped that he

would get through this call in time to interview the candidates.

Al changed the subject and asked, "How's Martin doing in school?"

Surprised by the question, Jerry answered, "He's doing well. He said that he

made straight A's on his midterms."

"I was expecting to see him go part-time on us," commented Al wondering why

Martin wasn't putting more time into his education.

"Well, I offered it to him. He wanted to ease into school without getting

overwhelmed. I can understand that to a certain extent," said Jerry. He added,

"I expect that he'll go full time next semester."

"Good. I'm glad to hear that. I was really impressed with that young man when I

was down there after you had been shot," said Al. Although Martin had impressed

him, he was more impressed with the support that Jerry was giving the young man.

The future of the company needed a next generation of educated people running

the business. He felt that it was important for the managers to start developing

the future workforce.

"I'm fully confident that Martin is going to do well. He's working hard on his

education and he's doing a great job here. Mike has him trained to take over as

Assistant Manager in case something happens to Mike or me," said Jerry.

"Good," said Al, "I'd like you to do one other thing for me."

"Sure, what is it?" asked Jerry thinking that today was the day of requests.

"You've got all of your figures printed up that you're going to read to me,

don't you?"

"Yes."

Al said, "I'd prefer if you would fax them to me rather than read them over the

phone. I want to see what reports you are using to track your progress. If I

have any questions, I'll call you tomorrow."

"Sure thing," replied Jerry relieved to learn that he didn't have waste the time

required to report his figures. The reports were very self-explanatory. They had

to be for him to use them.

"Great, I'll talk to you later," said Al.

The phone call ended after Jerry said his goodbye. Sitting back in his chair, he

considered everything that his boss had said. The morning was rapidly

disappearing and he had too much to do. He went over to the fax machine and set

it up to fax in his papers. Once the fax was reading the pages, he went to the

door and called out, "Karen, I need to talk to you for a second."

When Karen came into the office, he filled her in on the details of the request

made by his boss. She looked surprised at the idea that she would be sent out to

perform the installation along with Mike. Her surprise was also accompanied by

pride at the recognition of her contribution by Al Sinclair. She said, "I'm

surprised they didn't send you to train people instead of Mike. It was your

idea."

"Well, I'm sure there were a couple of reasons why he chose Mike," answered

Jerry. The first reason that came to his mind was that his large size and gruff

voice would probably scare everyone.

"Yeah, I guess so. I mean, he knows that Mike and I are married. For us to

travel together is probably a lot better than if you and I went together," she

said.

That reason had never occurred to Jerry. Thinking about it, it did make a

certain amount of sense for a husband and wife to travel together. He grunted,

"You're probably right. Beside, he knows that I'm getting married and setting up

house with Jenny."

"That's a good reason, too," said Karen with a smile.

Jerry looked down at his watch and realized that he had a few minutes to kill

before he was supposed to interview the candidates. He asked, "How's it working

out with you working here?"

"Great. Mike and I were talking about it the other night. With the kids in

school, my hours here are perfect. Mike and I get time together, but I also get

to be a mother. The work is good and the pay is great for a part-time job. It's

nice to be able to have lunch with my husband," she answered. The couple had

often speculated about what would have happened if Mike had not returned after

quitting that one time. The promotion, pay raise, her employment, and Saturdays

off had changed their economic situation and lifestyle considerably.

"Good, I'm glad to hear that," said Jerry. He thought about all of the employees

and how things were in their lives. Martin and Carlos were going to school, Mike

had more responsibilities than ever, Karen seemed happy with her work, and Abe

had turned into a hard worker. He guessed that the biggest change was for him,

he actually enjoyed coming into work.

There was a knock on the door and Jerry called out, "Come in."

The door opened, but the man who had knocked stood in place staring at Jerry.

Jerry recognized him almost immediately as Jeff Harding. Jeff had worked for him

for about two months several years before and had quit after a particularly

abusive session from Jerry. Jeff said, "Forget it. I'm not working for you

again."

Jerry turned to Karen and asked, "Would you excuse us for a minute?"

She nodded and left the room, edging around the man at the door. When she was

gone, Jerry said, "Please come in, Jeff."

Jeff entered the room cautiously and looked around. This office was still the

setting for his nightmares. The only change was that the Tool Girl calendar had

been changed to an outdoors calendar. He said, "I'd heard that there was new

management here. I wouldn't have come in if I'd known you were still here."

"I can imagine. I was a pretty nasty bastard when you were working here," said

Jerry realizing the irony of the situation -- he was just thinking about how

much better things were around here for his employees. He gestured to a chair

and said, "Have a seat."

Jeff didn't want to sit down, but he did out of fear at what Jerry would say if

he didn't. The big man's voice affected him like fingernails on a chalkboard.

Slouched down in the chair, he sullenly stared at Jerry wondering what the big

man was going to say.

Jerry frowned at how poorly the interview was going. His past was coming home to

haunt him. He noticed the effect that his frown had on the man sitting across

the desk from him. Sighing, he asked, "Are you working now?"

"No. I was laid off," answered Jeff. His words were delivered with bitterness.

"If you turn down this job, will you lose your unemployment benefits?" asked

Jerry trying to get a better understanding of the circumstances in which Jeff

had found himself.

"It doesn't matter, they're about to run out," answered Jeff. He was desperate

to even consider working for Jerry again.

Jerry thought about it for a minute and could see that the man didn't want to

work here. The fact that he was still pursing the job meant Jeff was in a pretty

dire situation. Finally, he asked, "Why did you come here?"

"I saw Mike and asked him how it was going here. He said it was great and that

his wife was working here too. I figured that meant you were gone," answered

Jeff. His guess had been given credence when he had seen the improvements inside

the store and seen how happy everyone was at their jobs. The black guy was

actively joking with the blond delivery guy. When he had worked there, no one

joked.

Believing that he would come to regret this decision, Jerry said, "I would

understand if you didn't want to work for me again. Let me say this, if Mike

agrees with me, then you have an unofficial offer. If you take it, we'll tender

a real offer. If you choose not to take it, we'll tell anyone that calls that we

had another candidate that we preferred."

"Do you want an answer now?" asked Jeff deciding to treat it like he was

actually being offered the job at the moment.

"No. I still need to get Mike's opinion about it," answered Jerry. Jeff left

after a few more minutes of uneasy conversation. Jerry had watched him go; his

heart filled with misgivings about hiring the man. Jerry had changed, but he

wondered if Jeff would nurse old wounds or forgive.

A young woman, Sue Bellows, was the other candidate and she came in the office

as soon as Jeff exited. The only word that came to Jerry's mind to describe her

was perky. She had bright eyes, an easy smile, and an energy that was

overwhelming. In his opinion, she was exactly the last kind of person that he

would expect in this business. Surprised, he asked, "Why are you interested in

the auto parts business?"

Sue smiled as she answered, "I love working on cars. I'm restoring a '66 Mustang

convertible at the moment."

He could hardly believe that this diminutive young woman had a passion for

restoring old cars, yet she talked about her Mustang for the next ten minutes

with the kind of excitement that Bill demonstrated about his Pontiac Chief. It

was clear that she knew auto parts. After she had waxed poetic about her car

long enough to convince Jerry that she was the real thing, he asked, "Why would

you want to work here?"

"I heard from Carlos about how you are helping him go to school. I'm in college

right now, but could use the extra money that a job would bring."

Jerry decided that they could use her even if Jeff took the full time job. They

talked for a few more minutes and then Jerry sent her out of the office. Once

she was gone, Martin stuck his head in the door and said, "Hey, I hope you hire

Sue. She's a great catch."

Looking up at Martin, Jerry asked, "You know her?"

"Yeah. Carlos and I told her that she should come here for a job," answered

Martin with a grin. He wasn't going to mention that she was also Howard's

girlfriend.

"Sounds to me like she has a cheering section in the grand stands," commented

Jerry. He wondered if Martin was going to be putting the moves on Sue as soon as

she started working here.

"Yeah, I guess so," replied Martin.

"Could you ask Mike to come in here? I've got to leave soon," said Jerry. He

glanced at his watch concerned that he was running late. He had to be at the

high school at noon so that he and the kids could get a quick burger and make it

to the court by one.

Mike came in and sat down with a frown. After shifting uncomfortably for a few

seconds, Mike commented, "Sue is a no- brainer. I think we should hire her. I

thought that Jeff would be a good hire, but he's really got a grudge against

you."

"Yeah, I'm afraid of that myself. I'll have to walk on eggs around him," said

Jerry. Shrugging his shoulders, he said, "You'll be managing him most of the

time. I'll leave the decision to you."

"Thanks, boss," quipped Mike.

"I told him that if you agreed to hire him, that we'd make him an unofficial

offer so that he could decide if he wanted to work here without jeopardizing his

unemployment," said Jerry still feeling guilty about how he had treated Jeff in

the past.

The offer surprised Mike since he wouldn't have thought of doing that. He nodded

and stood up to return to the front of the store. At the door, he turned back

and said, "Let me think it over for a day."

"Sure thing," said Jerry. He said, "You know, there are a couple of our other

stores that need people. Might see if he's willing to relocate."

"That's a great idea, I'll check into it," said Mike.

Jerry glanced down at his watch and shook his head at the time. It seemed that

he had just walked in the store and he was already late at leaving. Standing, he

said, "I've got to run."

Jerry stepped out of the back of the store and got into his Camaro. He paused to

look up at the sky. The low hanging clouds continued to cast a sense of gloom on

all that were beneath them. It reminded him of the day that his ex-wife had

beaten Bill with the baseball bat. It was ironic that her trial for that action

would occur on a similar day.

It was a short trip to the high school where his kids were waiting for him, but

the noontime traffic made it take longer than he had planned. Running late, he

pulled up to the parking area of the school and went inside to get the kids. The

office area was next to the entryway to the school. Bill and Melissa were

waiting in the office looking worried or afraid that he had forgotten them. When

Jerry went to sign the sheet that he was taking the kids out of school, he

commented, "I wish you already had your driver's license. We could have met at

the court house."

Melissa only had a week to go before her birthday and she was looking forward to

getting her license. She grinned as she replied, "Ah, I would have left little

brother here at school."

The joke surprised Bill and Jerry both. Together, they went out to the Camaro

and headed towards the courthouse. When they had almost reached it, Melissa

said, "I'm really worried about what mother will do."

Jerry shrugged his shoulders without commenting. He had similar fears, but felt

that she wouldn't do anything in a public place. There was no way that she was

that crazy. Even if she did, he didn't doubt that they could handle it. He

pulled into the parking lot and said, "We're here and there are a lot of people

around. I wouldn't worry too much, kids."

Nodding his agreement, Bill said, "Right. She might be crazy, but she's not that

crazy."

"If you say so," muttered Melissa. She looked up at the sky and shivered at the

feeling of malice that the clouds conveyed. In a fearful voice, she said, "I

don't like the look of the sky today."

Parking the car, Jerry noticed the prosecutor walking through the lot. Getting

out, he shouted, "Hey, Mr. Dawson."

The prosecutor turned and saw Jerry waving to him. Knowing that he was going to

have to talk with Jerry at some point, he decided that this was as good as any

other time. He waved and headed over to the big man. When he approached, he

noticed Bill and Melissa standing beside their father. Upon reaching them, he

said, "It's good we ran into each other. Why don't we talk as we walk over to

the courthouse?"

Jerry rested a hand on the shoulder of Bill and put an arm around Melissa.

Together, they walked beside the Assistant District Attorney. Since he had never

seen a criminal trial, Jerry asked, "Would you like to explain to us what we can

expect to happen?"

"Not much. Odds are good that it won't come to a trial. We've offered a plea

bargain with her attorney and now it is up to her to decide if she'll take it."

An uneasy feeling settled in Jerry's stomach at the thought of a plea bargain.

He asked, "What kind of plea bargain?"

"One year in jail and five years probation," answered the man.

That she would actually get jail time in a plea bargain surprised Jerry. Melissa

greeted the news with a groan. Hearing her reaction, Jerry asked, "What's the

matter?"

"There's nothing to hold her back!" exclaimed Melissa. She looked around

searching frantically for a glimpse of her mother. Her comment sent a chill down

Jerry's back.

The Assistant DA looked surprised at the reaction of the three people beside

him. He had assumed they would be displeased for a different reason since most

victims wanted far harsher sentences than were provided by a plea bargain. He

asked, "What's the problem?"

Before anyone had a chance to answer, Melissa let out a gasp. Pointing to the

side, she said, "Here she comes."

Jerry looked in the direction in which Melissa had pointed. His ex- wife was

making her way towards them with a furious expression plastered on her face.

Before she was even within fifty feet she screeched, "Prison? You're getting me

sent to prison for hitting that little shit?"

When she was within twenty-five feet, she pulled a pistol from her purse and

aimed it at Jerry. Seeing that the crazy woman wasn't paying any attention to

him, the Assistant DA took off at a fast run. His exit was totally ignored by

everyone. The ex-wife was glaring at Jerry as though he was the anti-Christ and

she was an evangelical preacher.

Without giving it a thought, Jerry pulled the kids behind him as he ordered,

"Stay behind me."

Ignoring her father, Melissa interposed herself between her mother and father in

the belief that she could talk her mother out of shooting her father. She

screamed, "Mommy, don't do it."

To Jerry, it was clear from the expression on the woman's face that she was

insane. She glared at her daughter, angry that her daughter would interfere. She

pleaded, "Oh, baby girl. Get out of the way. I don't want to hurt you, but I

will if I have to."

"Oh mommy," cried Melissa pleading with her hands clasped together, "don't do

it."

Angry with her daughter for being in the way, she screamed, "Now you're taking

his side! You're gonna force me to hurt you, baby girl."

Seeing the look on her mother's face, Melissa was sure that her mother would

shoot her. Closing her eyes, she stood frozen in place with her entire body

tense and rigid. Her hope that she could stop her mother from killing her father

evaporated. There was no doubt in her mind that her mother was going to shoot

her before turning the gun on her father and brother. Even if she were to

survive this, she was going to be an orphan.

Jerry stepped in front of his daughter. As he moved, Jerry realized that he was

experiencing a cold anger rather than the wild rage that had plagued him in the

past. His attention remained on protecting his son and daughter, even while

knowing that his wife was going to kill him. His anger fed him strength

reminiscent of that which had come to him when enraged. He wasn't going to

charge his wife since that would force her to shoot. He stood solidly, rooted in

place, hoping his strength would allow him to absorb the bullets long enough for

her to empty the gun.

The sound of a shot being fired caused Melissa to scream. Expecting to feel the

pain of a bullet ripping through her body, it was a surprise that she felt

nothing. A second shot was fired and she opened her eyes to see what was

happening. Shocked, she found that she was looking at her father's back.

It seemed to Jerry as though everything happened in slow motion. He hadn't heard

the policeman call out to his ex-wife for her to drop the weapon, but she had.

She reacted by turning towards the officer with her gun still extended. The

policeman had fired the first shot, but it was wild. Jerry had no idea where

that bullet went. The second shot had come from his wife. It had been directed

between him and the cop. He hadn't reacted even as the third shot was fired. He

watched, wide eyed, as his ex-wife crumpled to the pavement when the third

bullet ripped through her chest.

When her gun fell to the ground and skittered away from her, his paralysis

broke. If she weren't dead, she would be soon. He turned and grabbed his

daughter in a hug so that she couldn't see her mother lying on the ground.

Carrying her, he stepped forward and pulled Bill into his embrace. He hugged

both his children as tears rolled down his cheeks. Voice cracking, he asked,

"Are you two okay?"

A very disheveled Assistant DA returned limping. His knee was scraped and his

pants were torn from tripping over a curb. He hadn't fled out of fear, but to

get a policeman. Breathless, he looked down at the woman on the ground and the

threesome standing in a group hug. Shaking his head, he said, "Thank god I found

a cop in time."

No one had noticed his absence or return. Focused on each other, they didn't

hear a word the man said. Half in shock, Bill croaked, "I thought you were a

goner."

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Posted: 2004-11-12

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