By Danny
Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep!
“Oh man!” I groaned as I crawled out of bed to turn off my alarm.
“I-t c-a-n-t b-e m-o-r-n-i-n-g a-l-l r-e-a-d-y!” I said in the course of a yawn while stretching.
I ran both hands through my hair and coughed once as I took a deep breath. I reached down to see if I was dry and for the second morning in a row I had gotten up dry. Before yesterday morning I would have gone right back to bed just like, well just like I had done yesterday but with dad’s words still replaying over and over again in my ears the idea sort of turned me off the whole idea.
A part of me wanted to get back in bed, wet and rub myself again but I just couldn’t do it, not today. I think somewhere in the back of my head I was wondering if I would ever want to do it again. So instead, I put on one of my baseball style t-shirts with the three-quarter red sleeves, stepped into my slippers and headed for the kitchen with only my dry Goodnite on which was peeking out from under the bottom hem of my shirt.
Mom was already up making coffee, “Oh good morning!” she said with a smile.
It had been several days since I had showed up at the breakfast table still wearing my Goodnite but it was such a normal thing for me to do that I don’t think that mom even noticed.
“Are you ready for breakfast?” she asked as I sat down at the table while rubbing the sleep from my eyes.
I shook my head yes and tried to rub the sleep out of my eyes.
“Someone doesn’t look like he is awake yet this morning.” I just smiled and put my hands between my legs to warm them, as it was a bit chilly again this morning.
“When is summer going to come?” I asked with a shiver.
“Oh, it will be here before you know it and then you will be complaining about it being so hot every day,” she said while pulling open the curtain over the kitchen sink.
“So, what sounds good to you this morning?” she asked.
“Toast and O.J?” I requested.
“You sure that is going to be enough?”
I shook my head at her a little more assertively this time.
“Do you want anything on your toast?” she asked dropping two slices of bread in the toaster oven.
“A little butter, please,” I said.
“Ice in your juice, too?” she asked.
“Yes please,” I said, rubbing at my eye again.
In no time at all, mom had served up two slices of hot buttered toast and a nice icy cold glass of O.J. just the way I like it.
“Thanks!” I said, gulping down a big swallow of the juice.
“Careful! You will give yourself a brain freeze,” she cautioned.
“AAHHH! T-o-o l-a-t-e!” I whimpered.
I set the glass down a little too hard which caused a few drops to splash onto the table as I grabbed my head.
“See!” she said smartly while wiping up my small mess.
“Oow!” I continued to moan.
“Brain freeze?” I heard dad say.
“Good morning sugar-booger,” he said kissing mom on the cheek.
The freeze melted away, “That’s better!” I said.
“Morning, dad,” I said picking up my toast and crunching down into it.
“Well a brain freeze is certainly one way to wake up!” Dad said, pouring himself a cup of coffee. “But, me? I prefer to wake up to a nice hot cup of good old Caffeine Joe!
“Eggs this morning?” mom asked dad, giving him a poke in the side.
Dad spilt a little coffee on his hand! “Hey! Ouch!”
“Oh sorry about that . . . sugar-booger!” Mom said in a mockingly sweet tone.
Dad chomped his teeth at her and growled, “Yes, L-o-v-e!”
She gave him a kiss on the lips.
“Oh come on! I’m eating here!” I said, shielding my eyes.
I heard mom whisper something to dad.
To which dad replied. “I would love to but I’ll settle for scrambled eggs.”
I did my best to avert my gaze from the two of them as I chomped down on my toast again.
“That all you’re having?” he asked me.
I just nodded a few times as I sipped at my juice.
“Hah,” is all he said back.
As I was finishing off my toast and gulping down the last of my juice. I went to get up from the table when dad said, “Hang on, Simon.”
I was already standing up so I just turned toward him. I don’t know why, but my insides all got hard and I started feeling anxious like I was in trouble or something. Heck, I’ve been in the line of fire so much this week that it wouldn’t surprise me if I was in trouble this morning without even knowing what it was I had done.
“Yea, dad?” my voice squeaked as I said it.
“I have a late afternoon meeting today and your mom has to go help your aunt as well.” He looked at mom who was wiping off the counter and then back at me long and hard.
“What?” I said feeling that I was under a microscope.
Dad took a sip of his coffee still staring me down. “If we let you ride your bike to school today, can we trust you to go straight to school?” dad finally asked, pointing his fork at me.
I started to open my mouth but he cut me off. “And to not go anywhere else but school? And to come straight home after school?”
I started to open my mouth again but this time mom chimed in. “This is a big step of trust on our part. You know that, don’t you?”
“Well?” dad asked.
“Gee? I don’t know? I mean I don’t think you guys should trust me!” I said sarcastically.
“You know, love? I’m thinking of trading him in on a newer more respectful model. What do you think?” Dad said dropping his fork in his plane and looking at mom.
“Don’t look at me! He’s your son!” mom said, tossing the wet rag into the sink.
Dad cocked his head as he looked back at me with both eyebrows raised quizzically.
“Okay! Okay! Okay! I hereby do solemnly swear that I will go straight to school and will come straight home after school. If I don’t you can lock me in my room and feed me nothing but worms and muddy water for the rest of my natural life!” I said with my left hand in the air and my right hand over my heart.
“That good enough for you?” dad said to mom.
“I suppose!” mom sighed, “But you are to call me at your aunt’s as soon as you get home! And don’t forget to put your key around your neck! And . . .”
“Okay!” I said with a slight whine, “Can I go get ready for school now?”
“I wish you would!” dad said, stuffing him mouth with a fork full of scrambled eggs.
I started to turn to go but dad added, “Simon?”
I stopped and looked back at him as if to say, “WHAT!” but I knew better then to use that tone with either of them so I managed to keep my lips together.
He was looking very serious. He glanced over at mom again and then back to me, “Don’t mess this up! Okay?”
I got the message loud and clear. “I won’t! I promise!”
“Okay now go!” he said waving me off with his fork.
Smiling from ear to ear I took off for the bathroom where I only took a short shower. Since I had not wet last night, I didn’t have to worry about getting all the pee washed off so that I wouldn’t smell of it all day.
Also, since I was going to be riding my bike, I was careful not to get my hair too wet while showering, only enough to get it to lay back down. I dressed equally fast and was out the door with a, “BYE!”
It wasn’t as cold out this morning as I thought it would be but it was cold enough that the key around my neck was biting my chest until it warmed up. Even though it was not as cold this morning as it has been, while flying down our street, the wind felt like it was going right through me! Boy that was sure cold but I warmed up pretty fast peddling the rest of the way to school.
About a block from the school I nearly ran into some kid that appeared out of nowhere. He was so bundled up in a fake fur style winter coat that he looked like a big fuzzy gray bear. I had to swerve to miss him as he came running out of some bushes and I nearly crashed into a street sign.
I turned to the kid who was standing on the sidewalk staring through his scarf that was wound around his face like red and green mummy wrappings. It was not cold enough out to be as bundled up as he was but I figured he had one of those moms that are very over protective.
“Man! You need to watch where you are running!” I snapped, “I nearly hit you!”
I saw through the scarf that his eyes were all teary and appeared frightened. As he turned and looked behind himself to where he had come out of the bushed he raised his gloved hand to where his face should be before turning back to me. I could now see a lock of red hair sticking out from under his hood and I new him instantly.
Right on cue, Peter Alderman and his three goons came crashing through the bushes. They each jumped on the boy and wrestled him to the ground, pounding him with their fists.
I still don’t remember doing it, but evidentially I jumped into the midst of them and started pulling them off the boy. I later found out that I was kicking, punching and screaming cusswords at them like I was talking another language. For some unknown reason, Peter and his goons actually listened to me when I told them to leave the boy alone. The only part I really remember clearly was Peter standing there looking like a jigsaw puzzle with a couple of pieces gone and my brain trying to work out why he looked so disheveled. Unfortunately one of the crossing guards and a small flock of students heard my rather loud remarks and gathered around to see what was happening. One of the crossing guards had come over and broke everything up and he ended up reporting us all to the school.
No sooner had I sat down at my desk in homeroom class than my teacher walked into the classroom, came right up to me and gave me a red hall pass and sent me to the office. Now you might recall that hall passes are supposed to be blue but there are also red and orange hall passes. The orange hall passes are for those few students that have permission to be in the halls between classes. A few examples are kids that have to go to the nurses’ office a couple times a day to take medications, also the AV-kid has one and so do the hall monitors. Then there are the red hall passes and anyone that sees it knows you have been summoned by the principal himself.
That walk to the office this morning was one of the longest walks of my life! With every step my heart constricted just a little bit more. I could already hear both of my parents yelling at me when they found out what had happened and what had come out of my mouth. I could feel the tears welling up but I managed to keep them in.
As I was turning the last corner I came face to belly with Mr. Shaffer!
“Well hello there Mr. Leonard!” he said with a smile on his face.
“Oh, hello Sir!” I said looking down at the floor.
“Hey! Don’t look so glum! It’s not all bad!” he said.
I looked up at him in bewilderment.
“Yes, I know what happened this morning, actually I imagine by lunch every person in this school will know.” He was still smiling and for some reason it didn’t help.
“Every person in the school will know soon enough,” I thought.
“You’re made of all the best stuff. Aren’t you?” he said, messing up my hair.
“Okay, better go face it like a man! And don’t you go forgetting that we have a date tomorrow after school,” he said continuing on his way.
It was all I could do to pick up one foot and then the other. It felt like my shoes were made of lead. When I finally reached the door to the office I couldn’t get my arms to extend out and push it open. Something in me was telling me to run and never stop but just as that voice was starting to get through to my feet the door opened on its own. Standing there taller then ever was Mr. Graff, our vice-principal. He looked like the cat that had just swallowed the big juicy mouse!
“We’ve been expecting you, Mr. Leonard!” he said with the meanest looking grin and sounding like someone out of an old horror movie.
He stepped to the side and motioned for me to come in but my feet wouldn’t move. My arms hung to my sides and my legs felt like they were made of stone. I was shaking all over and couldn’t stop. He looked down at me and I think I heard him say something. I mean, I saw his lips move, but what did he say?
His face went hard just as his hand started moving forward to grab me and . . .
“You scared the hell out of the boy! Now get out of here before I throw you out!”
The voice sounded hard yet somehow soft. I heard a door slam hard, my eyes jerked open and all I saw was white.
I think I said something but I’m not sure, then there was a face. I could see a face.
“There you are! Welcome back!” such a sweet voice said.
“What?” I said as the face came into focus and I could see it was the school nurse.
“You? Oh Hi!” I think I said as I realized who it was.
“You are okay! You just got too worked up and fainted is all, but you are going to be just fine,” she said, brushing my hair from my forehead with her fingers and dabbing at my face with a cold, wet cloth.
“Did you get this nasty bump from the fight this morning?” she sounded so much like an angel.
My hand instinctively went to my forehead, “No, my dad did it.” I said.
My whole body went ridged, “MY DAD!” I shouted.
“He’s going to kill me!” Panic gripped me again as everything came flooding back into my mind, “I didn’t mean it! I didn’t know what I was saying!” I was crying, “Please don’t tell him, PLEASE!”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa! Calm down, Simon! It’s okay! Everything is going to be just fine.” She managed to get me calmed back down and put the cold, wet cloth on my forehead and another one under the back of my neck.
“I’ll be right back, okay?” she said, rubbing my chest.
She wasn’t gone but maybe two minutes and when she returned she had the principal in tow. I had only seen him a couple of times in the halls or out in front of the school but I had never seen him up close before.
“Hello Simon!” he said and smiled.
“Hello Mr., huh? Mr. Principal.” I said, unable to remember his proper name.
They both smiled though the nurse hid her smile behind her hand.
“That’s Mr. Freeman, but I think you can just call me Andy for now, Okay?” he said and for the first time I realized that he sounded just like Mark Twain from the movies with that southern twang and all. But he doesn’t look anything like Mark Twain; he looks more like an older and shorter Nick Nolte with half-moon glasses and short graying hair.
I somehow managed to nod my head at him.
“Can he set up?” he motioned to me while asking the nurse.
“Oh sure, here, let me just.” She helped me to set up and propped a pillow behind me to help hold me up.
I was still a bit woozy but I was okay setting up.
“That’s better. And can you leave the two of us alone for a minute?” he said to the nurse.
“Sure, I will be just outside if you need anything,” she said as he closed the door behind her.
He put his arms behind his back, which made his belly stick out just a bit more then it normally did.
“Simon. Uh, you don’t mind me calling you Simon do you?” he asked.
“N-N-No Sir. I mean Uh Mr. Uh.”
He corrected me again, “Just Andy.”
“Yes Andy, Sir.” I said nervously.
He smiled again. “That’s close enough!”
“Let me start off by easing your worries.” He leaned forward a bit for effect, “You are not in trouble, okay?”
I just nodded.
“Yes, I do know about the fight and yes I was told what was said,” he cleared his throat, “during the fight.”
I started to say something but he held up his hand to silence me. “No, let me finish.
“I will admit that I was not very pleased to hear that one of my students was using that sort of language but under the circumstances it is understandable.”
I started to open my mouth again but closed it right away.
“Ah good! Better to say nothing then to incriminate ones self. Don’t you think?” he said as he moved his hands around to the front and clasped them together.
“If you will allow me, I will get back to all of that in just a moment but I’ve got another problem that I hope you can help me with.”
I guess the look on my face asked the question that my lips didn’t seem to be able to get out.
“Well you see, I have several boys standing in my office right now and I am not entirely sure what to do with them. I believe you are acquainted with Mr. Alderman and his three friends. Yes?”
“Y-Y-Yes S-sir.” I stammered and nodded.
He scratched his cheek, “Already this year I have had them in my office more times then I care to remember. However, the last time I had them before me I had instructed them that if they messed up just one more time that every last one of them would be expelled from my school for good.”
He pulled a slightly faded white handkerchief from his inside jacket pocket and dabbed at his face with it before continuing.
“They have been a real thorn in my side.” He exhaled noisily.
“I hate to loose a student, no matter how bad they are, I always feel like I failed them. If I cut Mr. Alderman and his friends loose they are just going to become some other schools problem. You see my predicament here Simon?”
“Ah Sir . . . I mean Andy? I don’t know how I can help?” I was surprised to hear myself speak.
“Ah Yes! I’ve noticed that you and Mr. Alderman have become, well, chummy in the past few days. Yes?” He said.
“I-I wouldn’t say chummy.” I swallowed, “I helped his friend and somehow he thinks that makes us friends now too, I guess.”
“Ah and in that I believe might be the answer I have been searching for.” He said waving one hand mystically before me.
“You see, from what I have heard this morning from countless students as well as a couple crossing guards is that you took those boys by surprise today and even made Mr. Alderman think twice. You might have even scared them just a little.”
“I SCARED THEM?” I said loudly.
He held up both hands, “Whoa, now don’t get all worked up or Mrs. Fish will come in after me. You know, between you and me, she might look like a heavenly being but between you and me, I think she has some devil in her too!” he waved at the door as if to magically seal it shut.
“Okay let me lay all my cards on the table. I would like you to help me out by becoming friends with Mr. Alderman and his . . .”
He paused and I offered a descriptive word though I don’t think it was exactly the one he was looking for, “Goons!”
He laughed, “Uh, I didn’t say that but you got the idea.”
“I-I don’t think . . .” he stopped me.
“Oh but I do and so does your gym teacher, Mr. Shaffer. I think he said it best when he was in here earlier. You have strength and bravery in you that you don’t even know you have yet.”
I still can’t believe that Mr. Shaffer said that about me! Wow!
He continued. “I happen to agree with him and I think that you might be able to turn those boys around. Or at the very least, keep them out of my office and out of my hair!”
I looked down at my shoes, back to him and then back to my shoes.
“Okay you think on that one for a minute. Let us get back to the other matter.” He said and my head jerked back up instantly.
“Now, don’t get all worked up again! It’s just that Mrs. Fish told me that you didn’t get that in this mornings fight. She said you got it from your father?” He pointed to my head and like a flash of lighting it all became clear.
“NO, NO, NO!” I shouted.
“It’s not like that at all! He didn’t hit me! I hit him!” I knew I had said the wrong thing again by the look on his face.
“No that’s not what I mean! I mean . . .” and I went on to tell him, rather animatedly, how I got the lump on my forehead and how it was all a total accident.
“Pork chops huh? Well that sounds too crazy to be a lie so okay, I will buy that and I will explain to Mrs. Fish and your dad that everything is okay on that front.”
“My dad?” I asked sounding frightened again because – well – because I was.
“My goodness you are an excitable boy! Now just settle down. Please! I said everything was okay and it is! I had the secretary call your dad at his work after you fainted. It’s school policy and he is on his way here to take you home.”
“But!” I tried to interject.
“Now that is school policy too! You will have to get a doctors note saying you are allowed to come back to school before we can let you back in the school. It’s the rules and yes I can see you are just fine. As matter of fact I think you are well enough to go on to your classes and disrupt my whole school today.”
I gave him a perplexed look.
“Oh yes! Everyone is going to be talking about how you single handedly took on Mr. Alderman and his . . .” he paused and I offered again.
“Goons!” and smiled.
He frowned back! “Not to mention the stories about how you whipped them with that tongue of yours. Which brings me to the unpleasant part.”
“But you said I wasn’t going to get in trouble!” I said tearing up again.
“Did I? Oh well, I tend to talk too much I guess! Humm, tell
you what. Do you have a study period in your schedule at all?”
“Yes.” I said puzzled and a little scared.
“When is that?” he said tapping his fingers against his bottom lip.
“Right before lunch.” I said still puzzled.
“And do you use it to study?” he asked neatly.
I started to open my mouth but he spoke first, “Be honest!” he charged.
“Sometimes.” I said looking back to my shoes.
“Right, that’s what I thought. Okay then. I hear you are an exceptional student as well as a bit of a writer. Is that right?” he said self-assuredly.
It surprised me that he knew both things about me seeing how before today neither of us had spoke a single word to one another.
“I don’t know, I suppose.” I was still looking at my shoes.
“From the reports I’ve seen and hear about you, you assuredly are! So, starting on Monday you will go to the library instead of your study hall class and begin working on a report that you are to turn in to me in two weeks. I want you to give me a single page on the origins of each of the words you used this morning and then an acceptable substitute for each of them. I want each page hand written in blue ink in your best cursive script and single-spaced.” He stopped in mid speech to add, “That’s one page for each word!”
I started to open my mouth again but he didn’t stop talking long enough for me to say anything, which was probably for the better, “Yes correct spelling, grammar and punctuation is to be imposed. If you have any trouble remembering what words you used, I am sure there are countless numbers of your classmates that can help to jog your memory.”
I must have really looked baffled because he said next, “Well I can’t very well have all of my students thinking that it’s acceptable to use that sort of language and I really don’t think we are going to have any more problems of that nature from you.” He stopped again and looked pointedly at me, “Are we?”
He gave me a smile, “Or would you rather that I just hung you from the flag pole by your ears for the remainder of the school year?”
“Do I get to choose?” I said smartly when it would have been wise for me to have kept my mouth shut.
He looked at me over the rim of his glasses and cleared his throat again, “Hardly! Two Weeks!” he held up two fingers.
“Oh and you will be needing one of these.” He pulled an orange hall pass from his pocket and handed it to me after making several marks on it.
I nodded my head in agreement as I took it..
“Now, what about Mr. Alderman and his.” He stopped and put up a single finger and smiled as if to say, “Don’t say it!”
I couldn’t help but to smile.
“Well?” he posed.
“I-I-I can t-t-try.” The thought terrified me.
“Wonderful! I’ll go put the fear of ‘Me’ into them and then have Mrs. Fish bring you in before you leave.” He said walking to the door.
“Sir, I mean Andy? Can I ask you something?” Despite all that had happened and despite the fact that I was about to begin a crusade to change the ways of Peter Alderman and his gang, I still had it in my mind to carry on my other crusade despite all that had happened.
“Why sure!” he said readily.
I glanced to the other closed door there in the nurse’s office and then back to him, “What is the name of the boy? I mean the one Peter and his huh, friends were beating up?”
Just the thought of the red haired boy and asking that question re-kindled the passion for my mission and my heart sang out a long joyful note.
He took a step toward me, “You telling me you jumped in the middle of those, those jackals, for a boy you don’t even know?”
Of course he had no idea that I knew the boy only by our brief and awkward experience in the next room only days before.
I shrugged my shoulders.
“You are a remarkable young man!” He said giving me a probing glare.
“Mr. Hawkins, Mr. Jasper Hawkins and I believe he will want to thank you personally upon his return. I would introduce the two of you but his mother and older bother came and picked him up just after the first bell. He was understandably shaken by the ordeal as I am sure you can imagine.”
He stepped back toward the door and it opened without him even touching it, which surprised us both. The nurse, Mrs. Fish as I now know her by, came in, “Just one minute huh?” she said to him with her nose in the air.
“Ah! Well, we had a lot to talk about Mrs. Fish . . . as I’m sure you heard.” He said making a hasty retreat out the door.
I couldn’t help but to laugh inside but I did manage to keep it from bursting out.
She started toward me when he poked his head back in and spoke softly, “Oh, and if Mr. Graff give you any more grief. You come tell me okay?”
“Okay!” I smiled nervously as it was no secret now that I was utterly terrified of Mr. Graff.
“Your mother and father are both here!” the nurse said.
“Oh boy” I sighed, “here it comes!”
I looked at the nurse and couldn’t hide my fear, “My dad’s going to kill me! You know that don’t you!”
“Don’t be so sure. They both looked pretty worried to me but I was able to explain everything to them and Mr. Freeman will talk with them too.” She had a way of making me feel like there might yet be hope.
She took another rag from a shelf, ran warm water on it and proceeded to wash my face and neck.
After several minutes the door opened again and in came not just my mom and dad but also Mikes older bother Tate.
Mom started fussing over me right away. I was expecting dad to be fire red with anger but instead he looked prouder then I had ever seen him.
“Tater? Why are you here?” I asked after I had assured both mom and dad that I was okay.
“I came in with Bull and his mom!” he said. “When we found out your were in here I stayed to make sure you were alright.”
“Huh? Why were Bull and his mom here?” I was honestly confused.
“Wow Simon! Don’t you know that Jasper is Bull’s little brother?” he said and things started to fall into place for me.
“OH! That’s who Bull reminded me of yesterday!” I proclaimed.
“Wow!” my voice cracked. “No I didn’t know that!”
“Yea, I was at their house this morning and we were about to leave for school when your school called to say someone had beat up his little brother,” he explained.
“Man when Bull gets a hold of those guys he’s . . .” I cut him off.
“Not going to do anything!” I said with more confidence then I felt.
All three of them looked at me dumfounded.
“No one is going to touch Peter or any of the other boys that did it! Anyone messes with them will have to answer to me! Got it?” I was surprising myself and dad was making a face at Tate that said, “Would you listen to my son go!”
“Well said Simon!” Mr. Freeman, the Principal, had walked back into the room.
He put his hand on the back of Tater’s neck and gave him a little squeeze, “Tate! You have certainly grown up. I hope you are not still getting into trouble like you used to do when you were here in my school?”
“Ah, no, Mr. Freeman, Sir!” he said this time his voice cracked and his face flushed white.
“Good, let’s keep it that way. You’re at Jefferson High now, right?” he asked.
Tater nodded and said, “Yes, Sir!”
“Good, Good! The Principal there is an old friend of mine! I might just drop him a call just to see how things are going over there!”
Oh Mr. Freeman was enjoying this too much.
“Ah, no Sir, that won’t be necessary!” Tater’s voice was cracking all over the place.
“I am very glad to hear that!” without letting go of Tater’s neck he smiled at me.
“Mr. and Mrs. Leonard, may I barrow Simon for a few more minutes to take care of what we were just talking about?”
“You okay with this idea?” dad asked me.
I shrugged my shoulders, “No not really but I think I’m the only one that can do it.” I said reluctantly.
“Amazing kid, isn’t he!” Mr. Freeman said to Tater giving his neck another squeeze and thumping him on the chest before letting him go.
Tater looked like he wanted to melt into the floor.
I jumped down from the medical exam table and followed Mr. Freeman out. However before he had opened the door to his office Mr. Graff came up to me.
I instantly felt weak in my knees and looked to Mr. Freeman who was looking at Mr. Graff with the sternest of faces.
“Mr. Leonard, I’m sorry I gave you a fright earlier.” Mr. Graff said as he offered his hand to me.
“Friends?” he said.
I looked at his hand for a second before Mr. Freeman said, “Go ahead Simon, he looks like a Monster but he really only smells like one!”
I took his hand trying not to laugh as he shot Mr. Freeman a dirty look, “Okay, Friends!” I said, jerking his arm up and down.
He gave my head a push to the side jokingly with his other hand and said, “Now go whip ‘em again for me!”
In the Principal’s office stood four boys being lorded over by a short fat gray-haired lady who stood behind Mr. Freeman’s desk looking like she was about to rip every one of them to sheds with her bare hands. When we walked in, this short fat gray-haired lady spoke and sounded like someone’s sweet little German grandma. I was taken back that someone could look so intimidating yet could sound as gentle as a morning flower.
“Thank you, Mrs. Regal. We’ll take it from here!” said Mr. Freeman.
“Okay, but if you need me, I be back my kitchen making the goulash.” And that is when I realized she was one of the lunch ladies but I had never seen her without a hairnet, ladle in hand and a big pile of some slop that she was serving in front of her.
As she passed me she put a hand to my face and kindly patted it, “You need tongue scrubbed but are good boy! Next time I give you extra helpings!” and gave my chin a squeeze before she left.
“EYES FRONT!” Mr. Freeman barked causing me to jump at least a foot backward.
He started raging on the four boys for several minutes while I stood behind them feeling very uneasy. My feet kept sending messages up to my brain asking why they had not received the message to run like heck.
I heard my name somewhere in the barrage of words aimed at the boys. “Every last one of you owes Mr. Leonard here a huge thank you. I wanted to throw you out of my school but he talked me into giving you one more chance!”
I couldn’t believe what he was saying, or more accurately shouting, but he was saying it with such conviction that I was starting to believe I had done just that!
“You can also thank him for calling off that other boys older bother and his friends! Do you have any idea who his older bother is?”
Every one of them shrugged their shoulders.
“Does the name John Ross Hawkins ring any bells in those empty heads of yours?” by their reaction every one of them knew who John Ross Hawkins was and so did I.
John Ross Hawkins also known as ‘The Brahma Bull’ and the all Star Quarterback for the Riverside Panthers High School Football Team.
“HOLY COW! BULL IS JOHN ROSS HAWKINS?” I screamed in my head! Of course, he said his name was J.R. but everyone called him Bull.
“Mr. Leonard here might have also bought you a stay of execution with John and his team mates. He told Tate Winston,” it was obvious they knew that name well, too, “that no one is to touch any of you. Had he not put himself directly between you and them you can be sure that none of you wouldn’t make it though the day!”
It was obvious that lights were going on it their heads. They were finally realizing that their good friend Mike was none other then the younger brother to Tate Winston, friend and teammate to J.R. Hawkins and I could also tell that all four were looking good and scared.
I still can’t believe that I didn’t figure that out for myself when I had met Bull, Tater and Runt the other evening as I was leaving Mike and Taters’ house.
“You four really messed up this time! Oh, and you might not want to venture too far without Mr. Leonard right by your side!” he gestured to me and I thought, “Why did he have to go and say that?”
He continued, “Oh, and in case you get it in your heads that you can push Mr. Leonard around; you might want to try remembering what happened this morning and know that he’s got just a wee bit of a kamikaze attitude to fighting and will take one of more of you down with him. Oh and he’s also got something from me, a get out of jail free card. So anytime he feels like whipping any of your collective butts, HE HAS MY BLESSING TO DO SO!”
I jumped again as did all four of them as Mr. Freeman shouted out that last part so loud the pictures on the wall were moving.
He leaned over his desk, pressed a button on the phone.
“Yes, Mr. Freeman?” came a voice through the phone.
“Could you send them in now, please?” he said pleasantly yet with authority.
“Yes sir, right away.” The voice said.
He leaned over his desk, propping himself on his knuckles looking like he was about to start screaming again but instead he sounded calm and together. “I have four more people I would like you to meet.”
And right on cue the door opened and four of the biggest police officers I have ever seen in my life walked in. It wasn’t until they were all the way in that I noticed the second one was an African-American woman and I thought that maybe she was one of those Legendary Amazon Women.
“These here are four of this cities finest!” Mr. Freeman said straightening up and fixing his tie as each officer walked over and stood in front of each of the four boys making the boys look like little children compared to them.
“These happen to be four very good friends of mine!” I could hear Mr. Freeman talking but I couldn’t see him past the wall of cop-flesh.
He continued to talk, “I’ve received signed documents from each of your parents giving me full permission to deal with the four of you as I see fit! So, my four friends here are going to be keeping an extra close eye on you as a favor to me.”
“Simon?” I heard Mr. Freeman call my name.
“Yes Sir!” I shouted back a little caught up in the moment.
“These four officers will be checking with you from time to time to be sure you are not having any trouble with these four boys.”
“Yes Sir!” I shouted again.
“Very good!” he added
“Officers Mecums, Davis, Hansom and Fry, I want to thank you for coming down here today and thank you in advance for keeping an eye on my five boys here! Treat these four as you see fit in the coming years.”
“Years?” I heard one of the boys whimper.
“I don’t believe anyone asked you to speak!” the female officer exploded into the boy’s face who has spoken!
“Don’t you say another word unless you are asked to speak, is that understood?” she was barking so loud that it was hurting my ears and I actually felt sorry for the boy she was chewing out.
“ANSWER ME BOY!” she was right in his face screaming.
“Yes Sir!” he sobbed.
“SIR! DO I LOOK LIKE A SIR TO YOU?” I had never seen an African-American turn red before but I sure did today. Her face was almost glowing it was so red and her eyes were bulging out of her head like they were about to pop.
“No Mam!” he sobbed.
I know I shouldn’t have been, but I was reeling watching those boys cower for a change.
She backed off a few inches, “That’s more like it!”
Mr. Freeman came around his desk to where he could again see the four boys. “One last thing boys. I told you that Simon here bought you one last chance and that was true. But know this! This IS your last chance!”
He held up four sheets of paper. “I hold here in my hand what is in essence, your death warrants. Again signed by your parents and witnessed by a juvenal court judge stating that anytime I or any of these four fine officer deem it to be necessary, you will be detained and sent to Pine Valley Military Academy where you will remain until you graduate from High School, which at the rate you four are going won’t be until you are very old men!”
He turned to the four officers. “Thank you again!” and shook each of their hands as they filed out.
As they were leaving they each stopped and shook my hand too. The female officer shot me a wink and patted my face, “We’ll be seeing you sweaty.” And I think I blushed.
Mr. Freeman looked at me, “Mr. Leonard?”
I walked over to him, “Yes Sir?”
“I would like you to face these boys, please.” He said gesturing to them.
I did as he said and turned toward them. My heart felt like someone was squeezing it from inside my chest.
“Boys! Look at him.” He snapped.
“Think of Mr. Leonard here as that little voice in your head that tells you when you are about to do something that you shouldn’t and listen to him! He might just be the only thing that is going to keep the four of you out of prison, which is where you will end up if all else fails. And remember, don’t let anything happen to him, because without him, I don’t think anything or anyone is going to keep John Hawkins and his teammates from putting you four in the ground.”
“Now, I want you four out of my office and back in your classes NOW!” he barked and all four of them nearly fell over each other trying to escape from his office.
Peter stopped at the door, turned and looked at me and then to Mr. Freeman. “Uh?” is all he said.
“Mr. Leonard is going to be staying here with me a while longer!” he said calmly.
Peter looked at me again and then took off out the door like his tail was on fire.
Mr. Freeman walked over to his door, poked his head out and then came back in shortly followed by my parents and Tater.
I fell into one of the chairs in front of his desk and put my face in my hands.
“You did great Simon!” Tater said coming over and patting me on the back.
“We heard everything!” Mom said.
“Actually I would say most of the school heard everything!” Dad said beaming with pride and rocking on his heels.
I got up from the chair and walked over to mom and wrapped my arms around her!
“Yes! I believe we might have scared the bad right out of them, Simon.” Mr. Freeman said.
Still clinging to my mom I turned and looked at him, “You scared the . . .”
Mom covered my mouth so that I couldn’t say what he scared out of me.
Mr. Freeman went over to his desk, opened a drawer and pulled out an old brown leather book that looked as though it had seen better days.
“Come here a minute, Simon, and you too, Tate, I want to show you both something.” He said sitting himself down on the corner of his desk and opening the book.
In very small writing were hundreds, no thousands of names. He ran his finger through the book, “Ah, here you are Mike!” he pointed to a name written in black ink and circled in blue.
I started to notice there were some names circled in blue, some crossed out with red and some not circled at all. He flipped though a few more pages and then pointed to my name. It was not circled or crossed out.
“Every child that has ever come through the doors of this school since I have been here is in this book. The ones with a red line through their names have passed away. The ones with the blue circles were my trouble makers.”
He gave Tater a glance over his glasses.
I noticed a star next to one name and asked, “What’s it mean if there is a star?”
“I’m glad you asked.” He said reaching around Tater and snatching a pin from his desk.
He proceeded to put a star next to my name, “Stars are for those special boys and girls that I have had the wonderful pleasure of working with personally.”
He smiled at me and elbowed Tater in the stomach. “Don’t you wish you had a star?” he said jokingly to Tater.
“No Sir!” Tater said and everyone laughed but him.
“I expect you to keep Bull and the rest of your team mates in check!” he said to Tater.
“Yes Sir, I will try.” Tater said.
“No, you will do or you will have to deal with me! Clear?” he sounded like he was about to go off on Tater.
“Clear Sir!” Tater was obviously still very much afraid of Mr. Freeman.
Before we left Mr. Freeman told us that he had one of the staff lock my bike up with the others behind the school. We stopped and put it in the back of dad’s car. Tater and I left with mom and dad went back to work. We dropped Tater off at his home and his and my mom talked for about 20 minutes or more while Tater and I told Mike everything that had happened. Mom then took me to our doctor where he checked me out from head to toe and was told the whole sorted story including the one of how I ended up with the lump on my head. He told me I was fine and told mom to keep putting ice on my head and if it didn’t go down within the next two days to bring me back. Oh and then he really made me anxious when he told her that if I started to show signed of dizziness, nausea, loss of memory, and a slew of other things that got progressively worse as he continued to list them that she should take me to the Emergency Room at the hospital. To hear him tell it, it sounded like I could keel over at any moment.
We were back home at lunchtime and mom made me a grilled peanut butter and banana sandwich, the favorite food of the King of Rock and Roll, Elvis Presley. She doesn’t make them for me very often so seeing how I had the opportunity I asked and got it, along with a nice cold vanilla-Coke.
Just about the time school let out our doorbell rang, I had been setting on the couch wearing a Goodnite under a pair of jean shorts with no shirt or socks on while watching reruns of the cartoon, Futurama in TV. I had convinced my mom that I would be all right and that she should go on over to my aunts like she had planned. I was also lucky that I had not wet my Goodnite yet because what came next might have exposed my little secret.
“Coming!” I called to the door as I got up to see who was there. I was nearly knocked over by the flood of muscle-bound jocks that came flooding into our living room screaming, hooting and shouting. They rooted, cheered and carried on about how I was so brave and nuts at the same time for taking on four guys that were bigger then I am.
Runt, Tater and Bull finally got the guys to bring me back down to the floor and got them all to quiet down too. Bull took something from one of the other guys and handed it to me. I held it up and saw that it was a Panthers Football Jersey, Black with Red lettering outlined in white. Every member of the team had signed it, even there coaches too.
“You are now an honorary Panther!” Bull said and that sent all the guys into a frenzy again.
It took a few seconds for Bull to get them to quiet down again, “Simon! You did a good thing for my little brother today and if you ever need anything just give the word.” And the whole group of guys in unison shouted, “Panthers Hoowa!”
Bull motioned with his hands for the groups’ attention again, “Tater here also told us all that you say those slimes that jumped my brother are not to be touched.” All the guys growled. “I will be honest, I was planning on breaking every bone in their bodies this afternoon but Tater here explained what’s going down! So you got my word, they won’t be touched.”
A few of the guys groaned like they were really looking forward to breaking some heads.
“But!” Runt added looking ferocious, “If they mess with you or Jasper again!”
“Then you have my permission to make them dead!” I added.
And the guys picked me up again and started chanting, “Make ‘Em Dead! Make ‘Em Dead! Make ‘Em Dead!” as they carried me around the house.
Dad arrived home not too long after that; the Panthers were all just leaving shouting various Panther War Cries; I explained to dad what had just happened and introduced him to Bull, Runt and Tater. Dad thanked them for being mature enough to not go after the boys that attacked Jasper.
Before the three of them left I was able to get Bull to tell me that Jasper was okay. He said Jasper has a nice black eye, one broken finger and was pretty sore all over which honestly made me want to set the whole team loose on Peter and his band of nasties.
Eventually the Panthers were all gone, I was parading around the house wearing the Panther Jersey they had given me like it was majestic royal garb. When mom came home I got to tell her all about the Panthers and reenacted a lot of it too!
Dad kept commenting about my head getting too big to fit through doorways if I wasn’t careful but I didn’t get that until just now.
I am setting here on my bed now, wearing my Panther Jersey and a lightly wetted Goodnite and writing all this down! I can’t sleep. I am too wired! Mom and dad sent me in here a couple hours ago because I was making them tired and crazy with all my constant chatter. I had called Mike earlier and he let me tell him all about everything all over again.
He was pretty upset with Peter since Peter is one of his friends, well sort of; I found out why they are friends. It seems that back when Mike was in third grade he let Peter cheat off of him which is how he managed to pass third grade his third time around. Mike has been helping with and in most cases doing Peters homework ever since. He said he never minded doing it because no one messes with someone that has Peter Alderman as a friend. Mike also said that he didn’t know that Bull’s little brother was Jasper and until today didn’t even know Bull has a little brother.
That’s about all I can think of that has happened today. I think it was a pretty full day, if I do say so myself. I think I am going to turn off my light and try to sleep. Who knows, now that I know who the red haired boy that I saw changing in the nurses office is, I might get a chance to finally meet him. I mean, I did save his life, surely that will endear me to him, won’t it?