Thunder and Lightening
Chapter 37
By
Lazlo Zalezac
Copyright (C) Lazlo Zalezac, 2004

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 of 
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 pursuing 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."
