Thunder and Lightening: Chapter 41Home « Thunder and Lightening Index « Previous

- Chapter 41

Posted: May 14, 2005 - 11:32:31 pm



Standing outside the church, Jerry held hands with Jenny while they waited for

his parents to arrive. It had been more than eighteen years since he had talked

to them and he was dreading this moment. The last time he had seen them was a

few weeks after he had graduated high school. After a huge fight with his

father, Jerry had left home and cut all ties to his parents. He hadn't even

invited them to his first wedding.

Smiling over at Jerry, Jenny could see the tension in his expression. In a soft

voice, she said, "Don't be so worried."

"You don't know them the way that I do," growled Jerry. Once his father had

decided that Jerry was never going to stop fighting in school, he had given up

on his son. They started fighting and the fights often got very heated. Jerry

hadn't hit him, but had come very close on a number of occasions. His father, a

much smaller man than he, hadn't had the same degree of restraint.

He glanced at his watch and wondered if they were going to show up. A car pulled

up to the parking lot of the church and an elderly couple got out. Jerry glanced

at them and turned back to look for his parents. Jenny squeezed his hand and

said, "Jerry, I think that might be them."

Jerry looked around, but didn't see anyone except the elderly couple. He looked

at them a second time. His stomach fluttered when he realized the old man and

woman were his parents. Somehow, he had remembered his father as being much

bigger than the man now approaching him was. His mother had been a vibrant woman

and the gray haired woman on his father's arm barely resembled the mother he

remembered. Unable to help himself, he said, "My God, they're old."

His comment brought a smile to Jenny's face. She knew that he had been dreading

this moment ever since she told him about having sent them an invitation to the

wedding. With a light caress of his hand, she said, "Let's go meet them."

Shocked at how small and frail his father looked, Jerry numbly walked to meet

them halfway on their trek to the front door of the church. He stopped a few

steps away and said, "Hello, Mom. Hello, Dad."

His mother, glowing with happiness at seeing her son once again, immediately

stepped to Jerry and hugged him. She stepped back, holding him at arm's length

and said, "It's so good to see you again."

Carl Smith looked at his son unable to believe that he was so large. Seeing

Jerry reminded him of his father who had been just as big. The memories invoked

were not entirely positive and he looked at his son with trepidation. With

greater calm in his voice than he felt, Carl said, "Hello, Jerry."

Turning to Jenny, Jerry said, "Mom. Dad. I'd like you to meet Jenny. Jenny these

are my parents, Carl and Alice Smith."

Smiling at the parents of the man she was about to marry, Jenny wanted to make a

good impression. Nervous, she said, "It's a pleasure to meet you."

Alice turned to look at Jenny with a very large smile. She knew who was

responsible for the invitation to the wedding. She went over and hugged the

younger woman. Her voice cracked as she said, "Oh, you're such a lovely young

woman."

As Alice and Jenny talked in soft voices, Carl and Jerry remained facing each

other without moving an inch. Neither man spoke as they each sized up the other.

Painful memories writhed in each man's mind, forcing them to relive past

tensions, fights, and words that should never have been said. Finally, one

memory forced its way to Jerry's attention. After taking a deep breath, he said,

"My son and I go fishing occasionally. It reminds me of when you and I used to

fish."

His father faltered at the statement and then realized a key piece of

information had been given him. Frowning in uncertainty that he had understood

Jerry correctly, he asked, "I have a grandson?"

"And a granddaughter," answered Jerry. "They are waiting inside the church to

meet you."

His father turned to Alice and, with real excitement in his voice, said, "Did

you hear that? We have grandkids."

"Really?" asked Alice with surprise.

Proud of the children as if they were hers, Jenny answered, "Yes. They are such

great kids. I know you're going to love them as much as I do. Bill is a

strapping young man. I'm sure that he'll grow up to be as big as his father is.

Melissa is an attractive young woman."

Relaxing a little, Jerry said, "Come in and meet them. They're anxious to meet

you."

Inside the church, Bill and Melissa waited with trepidation. Both of the

children were nervous about meeting their grandparents for the first time. Bill

wondered if his new grandmother would be like his first grandmother. Nervous,

Bill asked, "Are you ready to meet them?"

"How's my hair look?" asked Melissa worried about making a good first

impression.

After a slight pause, a grinning Bill answered, "It's a perfect mess. Looks like

you stuck your finger in a wall socket. All frizzed up and everything."

Her hands flew to her hair to check it out. Frowning as she considered the

cheerful timber in his answer, Melissa looked at him and saw his smile. She ran

her fingers through her hair trying to assure herself that her hair was in

place. She charged, "You kidding me, aren't you?"

"You bet," answered Bill with an unrepentant grin.

"You've been around Abe too much," answered his sister with a roll of her eyes.

The opening of the door cut off his laughter. Together the kids stood to face

the door. An elderly couple stepped through the door followed by Jenny and then

Jerry. The children shifted nervously from one foot to the other as they studied

their grandparents. They didn't know what to say.

Jerry said, "Kids, I want you to meet your grandparents. This is my mother,

Alice, and my father, Carl. Mom and Dad, these are your grandchildren, Melissa

and Bill."

Carl stepped forward and looked over Bill with a nod. Judging by the size of the

young man, he wondered if he was just as much of a troublemaker as Jerry had

been at that age. In a near whisper, he said, "You're big like your father."

"Yeah, I know," said Bill looking over at his father with a grin. The idea of

growing up as big and strong as his father was a source of pride, not dread, for

the young man. Together, the two of them had come to accept their size. He

flexed his arms to look even bigger without noticing the frown that flashed

across his grandfather's face.

There was a low rumbling noise from inside the chapel. After a moment, Henry's

laughter echoed through the vestibule. He stuck his head out the door and said,

"Hey you guys, the preacher says it is time for the rehearsal."

"We're still waiting for Jenny's parents to show up. Can't have the rehearsal

without her father to practice walking down the aisle with her," replied Jerry

with a grin.

Nodding his head, Henry asked, "Will I have to practice holding you up through

the ceremony?"

"Probably," replied Jerry. The laughter of the two big men echoed in the small

room. Still laughing, Henry went back into the chapel to let the Reverend know

that they had to wait a little longer.

Eyebrows raised in shock at the size of the big man, Carl wondered if Henry

worked at the church or if he was a friend. He asked, "Who's that?"

Gesturing in the direction of the chapel, Jerry answered, "Ah, that's Henry. The

little fella is my best friend and is the best man in our wedding."

"He's your best man?" asked Carl wondering if all of Jerry's friends were that

big. He had accepted a long time ago that his son was a violent man. It had been

his hope that Jerry would change when he grew older, but after seeing Henry, he

had a very good idea of what his son was doing for a living. All he knew was

that it would scare the hell out of him if both of those guys were to show up at

his house late at night.

"Yeah, we have a little business together," said Jerry.

As far as Carl was concerned, that clinched it. There was no doubt in his mind

that they were in the business of roughing up people. He glanced over at his

wife to see if she was ready to leave.

Carl turned in time to see Jenny's mother and father enter the church. The man

was almost as big as Jerry and despite his age, looked as if he could tow a car

without a truck. He decided the man had to be the ringleader of the gang with

Jerry and Henry as the enforcers. He shook his head in disgust.

When her parents entered the room, an excited Jenny ran over to great them. She

threw herself at her father. The man picked her up and spun her in the air with

relative ease. She shouted, "Oh daddy. It's so good to see you again. I want you

to meet my fiancee."

The fact that Jenny was going to introduce Jerry to her father puzzled Carl. He

watched in confusion as the introductions were made. From the way that everyone

acted, it was clear that Jerry had never met his future father-in-law prior to

that day.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. and Mrs. Coltrain."

"Call me Tom, Jerry," replied the big man in a friendly voice. He was impressed

with the size of the man standing across from him. His little girl had always

brought home big men, but Jerry had to be the biggest of them all. He was also a

little older than he had expected.

Jenny's mother said, "You can call me Sherry."

"Alright, Tom, Sherry" said Jerry liking the big guy immediately. He hadn't

really believed Jenny when she had said that her father was a big man. He

gestured to his mother and father performed the introductions.

Carl shuffled forward half-afraid of shaking hands with the man. He figured that

the guy would crush his hand. The firm handshake was a surprise in the sense

that it wasn't overly strong. He mumbled, "Nice to meet you."

Tom compared the two men standing before him and wondered how Jerry could be the

son of such an average sized man. He turned to Jerry and said, "So you're

marrying my little girl."

"Yes, sir," answered Jerry. "I'm still trying to figure out why she agreed to

it. She's the most beautiful woman that I've ever seen. She's got a gentle soul

and a caring nature. And smart. She's the smartest person I've ever met. Yep,

it's a real mystery to me why she's marrying me."

Pushing against him with little effect, Jenny said, "Ah, come on. Aren't we

supposed to be practicing getting married?"

Bill was about to pipe up with a comment about them already practicing the

honeymoon, but Melissa hit him in the shoulder before he was able to say a word.

He'd already made that joke too many times for it to be funny anymore.

Jerry said, "Mom and Dad, the kids wanted a chance to get to know you. I hope

you don't mind."

Giving her son a big smile, Alice replied, "That would be lovely."

Before going into the chapel with Jenny and her parents, Jerry suggested said,

"Why don't you go somewhere with the kids and talk with them in private while we

are practicing? We can meet up at the buffet for the recital dinner at seven."

"Sounds like a plan," replied Carl. He figured that with the kids away from

their father, he'd find out the truth about his son. So far, he was convinced

that his son was some sort of enforcer for a crime family.

Brightening at the idea of going somewhere, Melissa suggested, "Why don't we go

to our big house?"

"Your big house?" asked Alice.

"Yeah. We've got two houses. The big house and then the house in the slums,"

answered Bill.

"The slums?" asked Carl wondering what they were talking about.

"Well, that was the house that Dad moved into when he left the bitch," answered

Bill. There was real venom in his voice when he mentioned his mother.

"Dad bought the house after it was proved that the landlord was selling drugs

and using the houses that he owned in a money laundering scheme," said Melissa.

"Your Dad is mixed up with drugs?" asked Carl horrified at the idea of what his

son had become.

"Dad? Mixed up in drugs? Nope. Mr. Atkins went down the street to tell the drug

dealers to move out of our neighborhood. Dad went with him and ended up getting

shot four times. He nearly died, but he protected Mr. Atkins. He killed a couple

of the drug dealers and put the rest in the hospital," answered Bill somewhat

confused by his grandfather's question.

"You do know what your Dad does for a living, don't you?" asked Carl seeking

further proof that his son was some sort of underworld enforcer.

"Sure. He's the manager of the Auto Parts House on Main Street," answered Bill.

"He's the manager of an Auto Parts store," echoed Carl nodding his head sagely.

He decided that an auto parts store would be a perfect front company for a

criminal organization. He figured they sold parts that had been stripped off of

stolen cars. He asked, "So Henry is a partner in that business?"

"No. We have a small company that makes indoor waterfalls," answered Bill.

"They are interior water sculptures," corrected Melissa shooting a look of

feminine superiority in his direction.

Bill shrugged off his sister's correction and added, "We just got an order for

one that is going to be eight feet tall and twelve feet long. We're getting paid

fifty thousand dollars for it. They're purchasing it for some office building up

in Chicago."

Carl looked at his grandson for a minute trying to figure out what he was

talking about. He asked, "So Henry has another job?"

"Yeah. He's a trash man for the city," answered Bill knowing that it wouldn't be

long before Henry was making more money with the waterfalls than from his day

job. The men talked while working on the waterfalls and Bill was smart enough to

listen. He was learning things about being an adult that none of the other kids

in school even dreamed about.

"Sanitary engineer," corrected Melissa.

"Henry says that he's a trash man. If you don't like that, take it up with him,"

countered Bill eliciting rolled eyes from Melissa.

Alice steered the conversation back to the houses and asked, "So the big house

is Jenny's?"

Melissa shook her head and said, "No. We call Jenny's house, Jenny's house. The

big house is the house that we grew up in. Dad got it back when he got

divorced."

"What were the grounds for divorce?" asked Carl.

"Spouse abuse," answered Melissa, "or at least it should have been."

On hearing that, Carl was ready to grab the kids and run out of there. He'd had

a low opinion of Jerry and this was just the icing on the cake. He may not have

known about his grandchildren until this minute, but he wasn't going to let them

stay with an abusive father even if that man was his son. He asked, "Why aren't

you living with her?"

"Shit," scoffed Bill, "She's the one who was doing the abusing. Fuck her. We

don't talk about the bitch."

"Besides, the bitch is dead," added Melissa.

Looking at the two kids, Carl was convinced they were hiding something. He

didn't appreciate the language the kids were using. Bill looked at Carl for a

minute with a puzzled expression. It dawned on him that his grandfather didn't

have a very good opinion of his father. In order to confirm that suspicion, he

asked, "You thought Dad was hurting us?"

"Well, he's always been a violent man," answered Carl even as his wife tensed by

his side. She had listened to everything the kids had said and thought her son

was doing great.

Angry, Bill replied, "Dad's the best. He protected Melissa and me when the bitch

tried to shoot us. He'd have been killed if the police hadn't shot and killed

her. He helped me at school when the kids were picking on me because I was big.

Now, I don't get into fights anymore. I'm a good student and on the honor roll."

"Dad's helped lots of people in our neighborhood. He's taught a bunch of them

how to fix cars, earn a living, and get along with each other. Don't you dare

say bad things about my Daddy," shouted Melissa surprising herself with her

defense of her father and her claim about the neighborhood.

Alice interrupted, "Kids, let's go to the big house. I'd like to hear some more

about my son. He sounds like a great dad."

Inside the chapel, the Reverend was showing Jerry and Henry where they were

supposed to stand at the beginning of the ceremony. There were little masking

tape crosses on the floor to indicate the proper location. Grinning, Henry

looked over the spot carefully and announced, "Now if he faints face first,

he'll fall that way. If he faints ass backwards, he'll fall this way. Let's see,

standing here I should be able to catch him in either case."

Sharon quipped, "Look who's talking about fainting - the big man, himself.

Everyone was betting on which direction you were going to fall during our

wedding. Lot's of folks are still mad at Jerry for catching you so many times."

Jenny giggled while Henry had the grace to blush. Coming to his friend's

defense, Jerry said, "Hey, it's best to be prepared. Of course, I probably

should have found a bigger guy to be my best man. Henry looks a little weak to

me."

"For a scrawny fellow like you? Hah!"

While the Reverend tried to get control over the situation, Tom turned to Sharon

and asked, "Are they always like that?"

She smiled at the question. Shaking her head, she said, "If you couldn't see

them and overheard them talking, you'd swear that they were both ninety-five

pound weaklings who get sand kicked in their faces. Sometimes I get the feeling

that the only time they are comfortable with being so big is when they are

together."

The big man nodded and said, "I can understand that."

"I bet you can. You aren't exactly the runt of the litter yourself," commented

Sharon with a wink.

Jenny sidled up to her father and whispered, "You're going to like Jerry. He's a

good man, just like you."

Grinning at her daughter, Sherry ran a hand over her husband's shoulders as she

said, "I bet he can pick you up and carry you around the house like this

barbarian does with me."

Jenny giggled knowing that her mother loved that as much as she did. There was

something earthy about it that started her juices flowing. As if she was sharing

a great secret, she said, "He can and he does."

"You've got to feel sorry for big women married to little men. They've got no

idea what it's like when a man picks you up and carries you off," said Sharon

looking over at Henry. She licked her lips and added, "Half the time, that's all

the foreplay I need."

The three women laughed while Tom blushed. It was the women's turn to blush

while Tom laughed when they realized that the Reverend had been standing next to

Jenny listening to the discussion. The Reverend shook his head thinking that

most people approached the wedding with a little more seriousness than this

couple. He cleared his throat and said, "If the bride, her father, and the maid

of honor will come with me, I'll show you what you are supposed to do."

While the four of them went to the back of the church, Sherry came over to Henry

and Jerry. Looking over both of them, she said, "My, you are big men."

Henry grinned and said, "Your husband's not that small."

"Sharon, Jenny, and I all know about having a big man around the house. It's

never dull," said Sherry with a wink.

"Jenny's an amazing woman," said Jerry with a sigh. He still couldn't believe

how giving she was.

"You're going to protect and take care of her, aren't you?"

"Ma'am, anyone or anything that wants to hurt her is going to have to go through

me to do it. I assure you that's not easy," said Jerry. Looking to the back of

the church at his bride to be, he added, "She's going to have the best life of

anyone on this planet. I'm going to do everything in my power to make sure that

everyday is better than the day before."

"You meant that, didn't you?" asked Sherry surprised at the emotion in his voice

when he had answered her question.

"He does, ma'am," answered Henry on behalf of his friend.

Sherry smiled and pointed to the aisle where Sharon was marching along in a

stately pace. She said, "I think we are supposed to watch this part."

Jerry turned in time to see Jenny going through the step-pause walk down the

aisle. In a reverent tone of voice, he found himself saying, "She's so

beautiful. I never thought that such a beautiful women existed until I met her."

Putting her hand to her face, Sherry discovered tears were running down her

cheek. She wasn't sure if it was the sight of her daughter marching down the

aisle or the words Jerry had said, but she was suddenly feeling very emotional.

She dug a tissue from her purse and dabbed her eyes. She moved over to the pew

and sat down thinking that there was a good reason that the mother of the bride

sat through the ceremony.

Henry watched Sharon walk down the aisle. Despite the fact she was wearing plain

clothes, in his mind's eye he was seeing his bride in her wedding dress. He was

tempted to run over to her and hug her. When she reached her place to stand,

they looked at each other with love in their hearts. Henry wondered why he had

ever been nervous about marrying such a wonderful woman.

It took the Reverend several minutes to get everyone's attention so that he

could step them through the next part of the ceremony. After they finished the

ceremony proper, he told them, "You will then kiss the bride and then turn to

face everyone while I introduce you as Mr. and Mrs. Jerald Smith."

Seated beside her husband, Sherry piped up, "Then you pick her up and carry her

down the aisle growling like a barbarian who's claimed his woman."

"Am I supposed to carry her in both arms or throw her over the shoulder?" asked

Jerry in as serious of a voice as he could manage. It was a rhetorical question.

He knew Jenny preferred the over-the- shoulder carry because he could rub her

ass while carrying her. She could kick her legs and beat his back with her arms

without fear of being dropped.

Tom slapped his thigh as he burst out in laughter. He liked his future son in

law. The Reverend rolled his eyes wondering how long this rehearsal was going to

take. Sherry grinned and answered, "Both arms. You will be in public after all

and we must keep up appearances."

The Reverend interrupted and explained that they were to walk down the aisle so

that everyone could admire the bride. Winking at her mother, Jenny interrupted,

"I'd rather be carried so that everyone is jealous of me."

"Uh, let's do it the traditional way," suggested the reverent. He turned to face

Henry and said, "You and the bride's maid will follow them down the aisle."

Grinning, Sharon asked, "Can he carry me?"

Realizing that they were joking, the Reverend laughed and said, "Just do what

they do."

Shrugging, Henry said, "If you say so."

"Are there any questions?" asked the Reverend.

Jenny shook her head and looked around at everyone else. They all looked

satisfied. She answered, "No questions here."

Stepping over to Jenny, Jerry put his arms around her with a smile. He leaned

down and kissed her. After breaking the kiss, he said, "I love you so much."

A very nervous Jerry made another circuit around the room. He fidgeted with the

sleeves of his suit as he walked. It had been tailored to fit properly and

didn't bind or gap, despite his large size. He glanced at his watch and saw that

there was still another ten minutes before the ceremony was to start. Only a

minute had passed since the last time he had checked. Time seemed to run like

molasses in winter. He groaned at the eternity that appeared to face him. He

asked, "Is it hot in here?"

"No," answered Henry with a grin. Watching his friend pace around the room,

Henry chuckled and asked, "Not so easy when you're the groom, is it?"

"I don't have any second thoughts," said Jerry sounding a little defensive. He

recalled how Henry had been getting sick in the toilet while waiting. He stopped

and faced his friend with a smile. He added, "I just want to get the show on the

road."

"Ah," commented Henry, "no butterflies in the stomach?"

"None," answered Jerry. He resumed pacing and then said, "Okay, I've got a few

butterflies but they're all small."

"They'd have to be the size of condors for you to consider them normal sized."

Henry laughed and went over to the mirror to check out the fit of his suit. It

was the same suit that he had worn at his wedding.

Jerry felt a sudden need to empty his bladder. His eyes flicked to the bathroom

as he considered what to do. After checking his watch and seeing that he had

plenty of time, he went into the bathroom. His urge was brought on by

nervousness rather than need. It was a very unsatisfying piss.

"Be a man and throw up. A little piss? Give me a break," Henry said.

"You're just jealous, little man," Jerry quipped. He glanced at his watch and

moaned upon seeing that only two minutes had passed.

"Little?" asked Henry. There was only one person in this world that made fun of

his size with such impunity. Grinning at Jerry, he asked, "Am I going to have to

hold you up during the ceremony?"

Before Jerry had a chance to answer, there was a knock on the door. Jerry headed

over to the door, but Henry waved him back thinking that it was the preacher.

With a few long strides, Henry went over to get it. Instead of the preacher, he

found Abe standing there with a worried look on his face. Abe said, "Ah, good.

You're here."

Concerned by the worried expression on Abe's face, Henry asked, "What's the

matter?"

Abe looked around nervously before he asked, "Can I come in? I've got something

important to tell Jerry."

Starting to get worried, Henry said, "Come on in."

Entering the room, Abe looked back at the hallway and said, "Close the door.

I've got some bad news."

Hearing something about bad news, Jerry wondered if there was something wrong

with Jenny. All of his fears and doubts surged to the surface. Had she decided

to cancel the wedding? Was she ill? He had to know. He raced over to Abe and

asked, "What's the matter?"

"There's some guy out there who claims that he and Jenny are married," answered

Abe as he gestured to some undefined space behind him.

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Posted: 2004-11-12

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