I Will Love You Forever Pt. 2 Ch. 02

*******

"What bothers you?" Hana asked Nick after they had finished making love.

"I'm fine." Nick replied as he toyed with Hana's long dark hair that now had random strands of gray running through it.

"Something troubles you." Hana insisted as she laid a hand on Nick's chest, "Tell me."

Reluctantly, Nick told her about Lawrence Goodman's probable early release.

"When he's free, he's coming here, I can feel it and I need to know how to protect all of you. I haven't mentioned anything to Ralph or the others because I don't want anyone to worry just yet...."

"But yet you worry." Hana interrupted.

"I'm a natural worrier, didn't you know that?" Nick teased.

"We should be worrying with you." Hana replied.

"To what end?" Nick asked, "I'm content worrying about all of us if everyone is happy and Hana, for the first time in a long time all of us are finally happy and I'm not ready to spoil it."

Hana went silent; the subject was closed as far as Nick was concerned. She had to agree with him on the fact that everyone was happy, even Hiroshi and Kenji's relationship had improved to the point where they were almost as comfortable with each other in the way that they had been before the issues with Patricia happened. It wasn't totally the same and never would be but they were both aware of that. However, deep down in her stomach, a little feeling of disquiet began to grow. She snuggled into Nick who had already drifted off to sleep and closed her eyes, she would be up early preparing for the party at Kenji and Patricia's house as it was now known.

*******

Ralph hung up the phone in disgust. He had been monitoring what was happening with Lawrence and was appalled that he would serve only three years for the eight known deaths in which he had actively participated.

"Three years!" he exclaimed to Abby, "Three years for eight lives and there were probably more!"

"I know Ralph, but what can we do?" she asked.

"I know that we can't do anything but Jesus Abby!" he exclaimed, "and I'll tell you something else, he's coming back here when he's out."

"He wouldn't! Nick..."

"Is one of the reasons that he'll be back." Ralph interrupted, "and Sally and the kids won't be far from his mind either. The only good thing is that he doesn't know about Kenji, Patricia and the kids."

"Do you think that he'll come after you?" Abby asked.

"Probably but it's not me that I'm worried about." He replied, "It's the rest of you."

******

The kids were finally in bed and William decided that there was no time like the present.

"Sally, we need to talk."

Sally stopped what she was doing and looked up at Will, "something wrong? Am I charging too much for the room?"

"No Sally the rent is fine." Will said, "It's about Lawrence."

"Lawrence? What about him?" Sally asked nervously.

"I'm not going to sugarcoat this." Will said.

"Is he dead?" Sally asked.

"No, he isn't dead but Sally, he'll be out in three years instead of four."

Will waited for the news to sink in.

"Three years? He'll come back here won't he?" she asked.

"I'm afraid so." Will confirmed. "We just have to be ready...."

"He wants to kill me doesn't he?"

"According to my sources, not just you. The only ones not on the list are the kids, Kenji, Patricia, Hana and the kids and once he finds out their connection to Ralph and Nick...."

"What are we going to do?" Sally asked.

"I have friends that are keeping tabs on him and will alert me to any developments regarding his release and escape if that should happen."

"Escape?"

"It's possible." Will said, "I don't see it happening but as Nick pointed out, Lawrence has a lot of people who are willing to help him."

Sally sat down and wrung her hands wishing that she could be rid of Lawrence Goodman and start over with someone like Will.

*******

Lawrence watched the face of each man to see if he could determine who the traitor was. So far, no one stuck out but he knew.... He knew that he and the group were being betrayed. His first thought was his right hand man Carl Tucker but it didn't make sense. Carl was a good ole boy from his neck of the woods; in fact, Lawrence served with Carl's cousin just before he lost his arm. For that reason alone, he discounted Carl and set his sights on other potential traitors.

He looked over at one of the newest recruits, Samuel Murphy. He didn't like the man even though he was a model recruit. He didn't drink or smoke and did anything and everything required of him, in other words he was too perfect and bore watching. Lawrence's gaze moved to the next new recruit, a clearly uneducated man who would make a good foot soldier in that he did what he was told without question but that didn't make him exempt him from suspicion. It was Lawrence's experience that people weren't always what they seemed; Doc and Sally were prime examples of that so Ezra Jones was added to the list.

Carl Tucker made sure to do nothing that would cause Lawrence to call his loyalty into question. He didn't have enough information on the group or Lawrence's plan yet to leave the prison but what he did know was terrifying. The plan of this group was far more radical than any Klan group that he knew of and as soon as he found out what he wanted to know, he was getting the hell out.

He had already passed on the list of people that Lawrence wanted killed and was surprised to hear sally Goodman was on the list but he didn't question it, he simply passed it on. It had become clear that Lawrence wasn't planning to escape; he wanted to leave the prison a free man and then go back to California. Of the people on the list only one had been killed, the man called Doc. The problem was there was nothing to link Lawrence to the murder although anyone with brains knew that he had a part in it.

When Carl volunteered to go undercover in the prison, everyone thought that he had lost his mine but he had his reasons that remained unspoken. To be honest, he wished that Lawrence would try to escape; he wanted to kill the murdering son of a bitch himself. Like Lawrence, Carl scanned the rapidly filling cell and tried to decide which o the men he would implicate as the traitor. That the man would die was of no concern to him, as far as he was concerned, anyone who belonged to such a group was scum.

****** By the end of October 1945, the United States invades Japanese held Korea, Hideki Tojo who was PM of Japan during most of WWII attempts suicide rather than face war crimes, Vidkun Quisling is sentenced to death for collaborating with the Nazis, 1000 whites walk out of Gary, Indiana schools in protest of integration, German rocket engineers begin to work in the United States.

Heavy weight champ Joe Louis is discharged from the army, Elvis Presley makes his first public appearance at the age of ten, "meet the press" premiers on radio, Hollywood Black Friday in which a strike by set designers turns into a bloody riot occurs, Juan Peron becomes President of Argentina, the Nazi war crime trial begins in Nuremberg, Paul Robeson wins the Spingarn Medal for singing and acting, French women are allowed to vote for the first time, Jackie Robinson signs a contract with the Montreal Royals, the first ball point pen goes on sale 57 years after it was patented and the US government ends shoe rationing.

*******

After Andrew and his friends broke Joel's hand things at school seemed to have settled down although Kenji remained on guard and encouraged Joel and Patricia to do the same thing. The car had long been cleaned of the racial slurs that had covered it and the back window had been repaired. From the time of the attack, Kenji and Patricia insisted on taking Joel home insisting that it was no trouble. Joel's broken hand still wasn't completely healed and he found himself grateful that he wasn't going into surgery as a career choice.

Andrew for the most part seemed to ignore Kenji not even speaking to him.

"It is the calm before the storm." Kenji told Patricia one evening after they dropped Paul off.

"Maybe he's forgotten about you and Joel." Patricia replied hopefully.

"I think that he is waiting to catch me unawares." Kenji said, "Just remember t keep your eyes and ears open and always wait for me."

"I will but Kenji, I'm worried about Joel." Patricia said, "His hand isn't healing right and I don't think that he really eats other than what we bring for lunch."

"What would you like to do Kirei?" Kenji asked.

"I don't know... maybe have him over for dinner or something. He just seems so alone; do you notice that he never talks about family?"

"We can ask but I doubt that he will come." Kenji replied.

"How about Friday? He could spend the weekend and we could study together! I'll make chicken or something that isn't pork what do you think?" Patricia asked excitedly.

"It is fine by me if he will agree to it." Kenji replied. What he didn't say was that he was worried for Joel too; if he agreed to come home with them maybe, he could get their introverted friend to talk to him.

*******

Andrew watched Kenji covertly, as much as he hated him he was intrigued by his calm demeanor. He and his friends hadn't done anything to either him or the Jew since they broke the Jew's hand and spray painted the Jap's car. In retrospect, he wished that he hadn't broken the Jew's hand. It was a spur of the moment thing, but something that he would never apologize for even if a gun were put to his head.

He not only watched Kenji, he watched Patricia too. Not always personally, but through friends that were taking the same classes as she was. Apparently, she was quite the smart cookie passing every quiz and test with nothing less than a 95%. He watched Patricia a few times himself and found her attractive even though she was black and for now, she was off limits. Just because he wouldn't touch her didn't mean that one of his friends wouldn't but that would be a last resort if all else failed.

"You ready to go?" Brian his friend and classmate asked.

"Ready." Andrew replied.

"Come on then, the meeting starts in fifteen minutes."

That meeting had been a month ago, it was also the first time that Andrew had been with other people who felt as he did. It was because of this group that he backed off harassing Kenji and Joel. Somehow it helped being able to verbalize what he was feeling without repercussions. It didn't change the inevitable that was going to happen between him and Kenji. It just postponed it.

The leader of the group none other than Patricia's first class teacher urged caution.

"You do not want to get yourselves kicked out of school because of this; any and all activities need to take place outside of school. In fact, this will be our last meeting on school grounds, nothing is to be mentioned about this group and if you find someone who wants to join, you have to vouch for them and they are not to be brought to the meeting place. Any questions?"

"Dr. Hathaway?" a voice from the back called.

"Yes?"

"When and where is the next meeting?"

"I don't know yet but you will receive word when I decide. Now go home and don't do anything that will draw attention to yourselves, any questions as to what I mean by that?" he asked looking at Andrew and his friends.

"No sir!" the young men said in unison.

*******

The week flew quickly by and to the surprise and delight of Kenji and Patricia; Joel agreed to spend the weekend at their house. Patricia got the room in the basement ready complete with a washbasin and soap, she was considering Joel their first houseguest ever. Kenji smiled at her and stayed out of her way by tending to the children while she cleaned and baked.

When the time came, Joel tried to back out and Patricia put her foot down.

"You promised so you're coming! She said "and not only that, I've cooked and baked up a storm and I've got your room ready for you."

"I just don't want to be any trouble." Joel replied.

"We invited you did we not?" Kenji asked.

"Yes but you were being nice."

"Joel, we weren't being nice." Patricia said, "You're our friend and we want you to come spend the weekend with us."

Joel reluctantly changed his mind and brought his luggage with him that Friday. After classes, the trio walked to the car each of them aware that they were being watched. Of the three of them, only Joel was nervous although he tried not to show it.

His eyes widened when he saw the house, "You live here?" he asked.

"It actually belongs to a friend of ours." Patricia explained, "She and her .... Husband live in another house and we stay here.

Joel couldn't suppress a smile when Niko came running out of the house screaming, "Mama! Papa!" At the top of his lungs followed by a much quieter Marie.

"Hello Niko and pretty one!" Kenji greeted the children as he picked up one and then the other before handing them off to Patricia.

Joel swallowed a lump in his throat; the scene that he had just witnessed brought back memories of a much happier time. He looked at the small family and wondered it something like that was in the cards for him but then realized that no woman would want a man who couldn't defend her as Kenji could obviously defend Patricia.

"Joel, this is our son Niko and our daughter Marie." Kenji said, "And children, this is your Uncle Joel, he will be spending the weekend with us."

Niko and Marie both gave Joel a small bow of welcome that brought tears to his eyes. He hadn't felt welcome anywhere in such a long time.

"Come in!" Patricia said, "My mom and dad are baby sitting today so you'll get to meet them."

Joel grabbed his and Patricia's bags and followed her in. The smell of roasting chicken and biscuits hit his nose as soon as the door to the kitchen was open. Immediately, he began to salivate and his stomach began to rumble, he couldn't remember the last home cooked meal that he had.

Hattie was the first to greet him, "You must be Joel, I Hattie Patricia's mama and that is her daddy John."

Joel's mouth went dry when John stood up; he thought that Andrew and Kenji were big! John dwarfed them not in height but in sheer mass.

"Nice to meet ya, hope you hungry. Hattie here done cooked up a storm."

"Th.... Thank you sir." Joel said shyly.

"Ain't no sir here! You just call me John and my wife Hattie."

Joel nodded as he glanced around him, this, he realized was a home, something that he wanted.

"Well come on in and make yourself at home!" Patricia said as she handed Marie to Kenji so she could help Hattie finish getting dinner ready.

It wasn't long before dinner was on the table and they were all sitting.

"We say grace here." Hattie said, "Kenji says his own prayer but sometimes he says ours, you can do whatever you like."

They all closed their eyes and bowed their heads each saying their own blessings for the meal before them. Joel didn't know where to start so Hattie helped him, filling his plate to the rim with chicken, mashed potatoes with gravy, green beans and two biscuits."

"Eat up, there's plenty" she encouraged her heart going out to the thin white man who radiated fear.

Joel didn't take his first bite until everyone had their food and that included the children but when he did, he almost wept with pleasure. No one commented as he wolfed his food down and asked for seconds and thirds, finishing the mashed potatoes and gravy.

"You got room for dessert?" Patricia asked.

"Dessert too?" Joel asked.

"Yep, Hattie's apple pie." John announced proudly.

That night, Joel went to bed completely full and had the first dreamless, hunger free night that he had in months.

*******

Andrew and his friends sat in the diner where Andrew's mother worked shooting the breeze. Andrew's mind wasn't on the conversation; it was on Kenjiro Takeda and how soon he could start his own personal war against him. "I wonder where he lives?"