Three Bears Pt. 01

The stupid ass he yelled out, "Hey, brown sugar, I think you need to take a ride with us."

The other two guys in the truck were making lewd remarks and telling her they had the meat she needed, stupid shit like that. She kept backing away as the truck slowly moved toward her. My hand was on the door latch as I watched, when I heard him slam it into park I exited my truck headed toward them. His mistake was that he hadn't seen me and got out of the truck, when he heard my footsteps he turned and assumed a combative stance, probably something he'd learned watching MMA. When he regained consciousness he was looking at his two buddies lying next to him, out cold. I opened the door to Hannah's car and waited until she had it started and on her way. As I turned to my truck the Weeks boy was back up and fuming.

"You really fucked up this time Cochise, I'm gonna kick yer red ass."

When he reached for the tire iron behind the seat I grabbed him by the neck slamming his head against the door frame.

I fumed, "You'd better hope that tire irons made of chocolate asshole, cuz your gonna eat it in about a minute. Hope you had yer tetanus shot."

The bravado quickly faded as I continued to squeeze the life out of him, just before he passed out I let him drop to the blacktop. Looking at his two friends skittering away I laughed, with friends like that who needs an enemy? Apparently word of the altercation was all over town by the next morning. I was washing the morning dishes when the phone rang, I thought nothing of it, people called at all hours for wood. What I heard after answering was a surprise.

"Bo, it's me. Hannah. Thank you for last night. I don't like those guys, they scare me. How did you know I was working, why were you in the parking lot?"

"Cuz I'm there every Friday and Saturday night hoping you work so I can watch you walk to your car. I noticed your brother doesn't come anymore, oh, and you won't need to be scared of those guys. They won't bother you again."

The line was silent long enough that I muttered "nice talkin to you too" while moving my arm to hang up. Just as I was about to set it on the cradle I heard a loud, "BO, BO, don't hang up."

I spoke calmly, "I thought you'd hung up, sorry. Was there anything else I can do for you Hannah?"

"Yes, you can meet me at Tony's Pizza around nine tonight."

"Tony's. That's like twelve miles away."

"I know. I can be certain neither of my brothers will be around, nor their friends. So, do you wanna meet me there, or not?"

Let's say I was cautiously optimistic when I told her I'd see her at Tony's, nine sharp. I wasn't quite sure what to make of the invitation. Yes, I wanted to see her, to be around her, to talk with her, but if there was going to be a black/white/Indian thing going on I wanted no part of. I decided I'd give it a shot and see how the evening turned out. I was at a table waiting as she walked in, she wasn't dressed fancy, but neither was she dressed sloppy. A simple red cotton blouse, snug jeans, just tight enough to show her assets, her afro was pulled back alongside her head with a big poof ball at the back.

She'd worn her hair like that a lot as a younger girl and I often told her I liked it. Could it be that she remembered and had done it like that for my benefit, or was it merely a coincidence? Either way it didn't matter, it looked good and I was pleased. End of story. We spent an hour talking and catching up as we murdered a medium pizza along with a coke for her and two doctor peppers for me. Escorting her to her car she apologized for her brother's behavior after her graduation. I scoffed and put my hand up.

"No need to apologize, you didn't do anything wrong. He's the one with the problem, not you or me. Do you have any idea why he hates me so?"

"It isn't you Bo, he doesn't like any boy who might be my friend unless they're black. Some crap about racial purity, which makes me wonder. Can there be such a thing anymore? I mean we're all the same, only one race and that's the human race. Mother says you can take any man and any woman from any two parts of the world and they can reproduce. That tells me we're all the same except for skin color and culture."

I looked at her and chuckled, "Wow, I never thought about it that way, but I see your point, and I think your mom's right."

We said our goodbyes and went our ways, I followed her as far as town and then headed for my place. I didn't see or hear from her all that week, when I went to the parking lot Friday night I noticed her car wasn't there and went home. At ten after nine the next night she walked out of the store, instead of heading to her car she was walking toward me. Leaning on my door she smiled.

"Thought I'd see you here. I feel safe knowing you're in the lot when I leave after dark. You up for a picnic tomorrow afternoon?" I nodded. "I work until noon, I'll have the deli girls save some chicken and potato salad. You grab some chips and cold drinks for us. I'll meet you at Potters Point around two. Night Bo."

Just that quick she was gone. My heart was beating a mile a minute, I couldn't believe my good luck, in my eyes I was nothing and nobody. Yet, Hannah wanted to spend time with me, the Indian drop out with a firewood business. My heart raced for hours as I lay in the dark, fatigue eventually took over enough to fall asleep. At Potters Point I had a blanket spread by the time she arrived, I brought along a small foot stool as a makeshift low table, I had used it as a little boy to climb on and brush my teeth. On it were two of what I thought might be champaign glasses. How the hell would I know, they looked fancy, so I bought them.

In the cooler was a bottle of non-alcoholic sparkling grape juice, I wanted to surprise her and at the same time make it a day she would remember. Potters point is along a slow meandering river in a remote spot of a county park, years ago it was a popular spot for kids to make out, anymore they just go to a motel or somebodies' bedroom. These days you see more fishermen at Potters Point than anyone else. Luckily for Hannah and me the point was empty. Walking to me she smiled.

"Are those glasses for some sparkling grape juice?" I nodded. "Is it red or white? My favorite is the red."

Ah, I'd gotten something right, "I guessed right, that's what I bought."

We toasted each other and enjoyed our picnic lunch, we talked some about days gone by and people we had known. We even took a short fifteen-minute nap after eating, the warm afternoon sun had a calming sleepy effect. When I woke she was looking at me.

"Bo, why did you drop out of school? Did you get your GED or anything like that?"

I wasn't sure what to tell her, "I was so far behind everyone else that I felt like a complete failure, I was ashamed and when I turned 16 my pa kept badgering me about quitting school so I could work. With mom gone I saw no reason to carry on with school. No, I never got a GED or anything like that."

Hannah was so kind to me, she didn't frown or make a face or show disappointment with body language, she smiled and talked softly.

"The tech has classes for people to get a GED, they're at night and there are lots of people who go to that class. Young, old, black, white, you should think about it Bo."

Those were not word's I wanted to hear, but I was kind with my answer, "I got my business and that takes all my time. I don't think I could do that, besides, I've been out of school so long I wouldn't be able to pass the tests."

"Well, that's the reason for the classes Bo, they get you up to date and help fill in any areas where you struggled. You really should think about it."

By the time our conversation ended it was going on five, we began packing up to leave. I wanted to at least hug her before she left, mother nature had other plans as the skies opened drenching us as we ran to our vehicles. She was smiling and waving as she pulled away, my dreams had once again been dashed on the rocks of life. As they say, life went on, I saw her a few times in the parking lot, but we hadn't talked since the picnic. I chalked it up to having had a nice day with her and moved on.

Thinking she wasn't interested in me I stopped going to the store every Friday and Saturday night, it had been a hit or miss situation anyway. With summer almost at an end she was working all the hours she could get before school started, something I didn't know. You can imagine how surprised I was when I walked in at 7 AM to see her at a register. Motioning to me I went to her register.

In not much more than a whisper she told me, "Make sure you check out in my lane."

Checking out I had paid her, loaded the grocery bags in the cart and was ready to leave when she took my elbow.

"Tony's at seven?" I didn't speak, only nodded. "Okay, see you there." She said.

She was waiting at a table when I walked in, since I was five minutes early I surmised she'd been there a bit. When I reached the table she stood and hugged me, not knowing what to do I was stiff as a board, she took my left arm and threw it over her shoulder as if to give me directions. I laughed softly and figured out what I was supposed to do. Following our meal we sat in her car talking, Suddenly she leaned over and kissed my cheek, then sat back.

"Where have you been these past weeks, I haven't seen you Friday or Saturday nights."

"Didn't figure you wanted to see me anymore after the picnic, I haven't heard from you at all."

She laughed, "I think you have that backward, the guy is supposed to call the girl."

"I would if I had your number. I tried looking you up in the phone book but couldn't find your family listed."

She touched my arm as she answered, "That's right, you still have a land line. My folks dropped ours when we all got cell phones. I'll write mine down for you. But then you have to call me. Okay?"

"I'd like to do that, but what about your older brother, he doesn't want me around you at all."

"Don't worry about him Bo, he's gonna have to accept the fact that we're friends, and as friends we're gonna hang out together. I kind of like you being at the store when I go to my car at night. I'll give you my work schedule so you know which nights I'm working."

After writing down her phone number and which nights she worked we parted company with a wave and a smile. I would have loved for it to be more, but truthfully, I also had to face the fact that in her eyes we may never be more than childhood friends. She was scheduled to work Wednesday and Friday late, on Wednesday I was waiting at her car to open the door for her. After handing me the keys I unlocked the door, opened it, and made a gesture for her to get in.

All the while a smile never left her face, rolling down the window she took my hand and squeezed it lightly. "Thanks Bo, I'll see you Friday night." While on a delivery in town a day later I stopped at the gas station to fill up, a pump away was her brother Larry, as he walked toward me I readied myself for the worst.

"Hey Geronimo, I told you to stay away from my sister. I won't say it again, next time I'll kick your ass."

Walking back to his car the guy in the passenger seat made a gun figure with his hand and pretended to pull the trigger. I had no idea who the guy was but it un-nerved me, duking it out was one thing, guns were quite another. I'd grown up around guns and owned several, but I had no inclinations about pointing one at somebody. Pretend gun or not, as I say, it un-nerved me. I called and talked with Hannah that evening explaining what had occurred and maybe I should stay away from the store altogether.

She was having none of it, "No, you don't have to stay away. I'm gonna talk to daddy and get this straightened out, this is no way to live. I'll get it fixed Bo, just be there tomorrow after work."

Friday morning, I put the harness on my old mule Belle and dragged a few trees out of the forest into a clearing where I could cut and split them. After lunch I took the truck to the clearing where I spent the afternoon bucking up the tree trunks and splitting. I quit about four bringing a load back with me to stack on next year's wood piles. One of the main selling points of my business was that my wood was always dry, completely dry, not mixed with green.

After a meal of venison bologna ring, fried potatoes and the past summers frozen corn I took a bath and sat on the couch with a good book waiting for 8:30 to roll around. Little did I know at the time that tragedy would meet me head on that night. A tragedy which would steer Hannah's heart toward mine. I'd been watching the front door of the store and at ten after nine out walked the girl of my dreams, I left my truck and was standing next to her door to unlock and open it.

I hadn't paid much attention to any other cars in the lot, Hannah was about fifteen feet from me when I heard two car doors slam, it was a row beyond and to my right. On the right of the car was Hannah's brother Larry, on the left was the guy I'd seen with him the day before. Hannah turned and screamed, "Larry stop." Then began walking to me, she hadn't proceeded two steps when I heard a deafening sound, saw a flash and felt pain rip through my upper right chest. I clasped my hand to my chest, looked down, then back up at Hannah, my world went dark as I crashed to the blacktop.

HANNAH *******

I couldn't believe my eyes as Bo collapsed. The hurt, sadness and confusion in his eyes, they silently begged me to make it go away. Those eyes of love and sadness wrapped into one, piercing through to my very soul. How could this be happening? It wasn't as though he was trying to molest or rape me, we were friends, why was skin color an issue for my brother? Somehow, I automatically dialed 911 as I made my way to him, he was gasping for air, blood flowing out of his body, I didn't know what to do other than put my hand over the wound.

The sirens approaching brought me back to the moment, as I looked up I saw Larry on top of the other guy wailing away, the pistol was several feet from them. The cops showed up within seconds of the ambulance and got the situation under control. Bo was being loaded into the ambulance, but since I wasn't family I couldn't ride along. With my brother in one squad and the other guy in another I asked to speak with my brother through a window.

"What the hell were you thinking Larry? Shooting someone? I can't believe you're my brother."

His attempt to shift the blame only made me more angry, "I told you to stay away from that half breed motherfucker. Why couldn't you listen, and I didn't know anything about the gun."

"Don't try to shift the blame to me you asshole. Didn't know anything about the gun my ass. You may not have seen it, but you know he's always packing. I hate you Larry, I just hate you. Bo is nice to me, he treats me like a lady, if you think what you did tonight will drive me away from him, you're wrong. I hope they throw your ass in jail, your wife and kids can visit you there."

I drove like a crazy woman thirty-three dark, lonely, tear-filled miles to the regional hospital, calling my folks along the way explaining what happened and where I would be, beside Bo if the hospital let me.

Bo's thoughts coming out of sedation. *******

I could hear faint noises and voices talking in the background, then the sheer pain in my shoulder and upper chest seized me as I let out a moan. A soft female voice comforted me.

"You're in the ICU at Bedford. Do you know what happened and why you're here?"

Opening my eyes I could see the nurse, "Yes ma'am, I was shot. Where's Hannah, is Hannah here? I want to see her. Is she hurt?"

"She just left to use the ladies room. Would you like me to get her? Oh, and she isn't hurt."

I nodded and closed my eyes. How long I was unconscious after talking with the nurse I don't know but it felt like an eternity. As I stirred the pain once again dominated my being, I groaned and felt a soft tender hand holding mine, then her voice, that sweet voice.

"Bo, I'm here. It's Hannah. They say you'll be okay, you'll make a full recovery, but it will take some time."

My eyes were still closed as she spoke, then I felt her presence over my upper body followed by soft warm lips kissing me on the forehead.

"Bo I'm so sorry this happened. I didn't notice his car and I have no idea why he brought that other guy. Daddy called me a while ago to tell me they were in jail, Larry may be released on bond, daddy wasn't sure. The other guy is in there without bail, he may get it later, but not right now."

When I opened my eyes her face was directly above mine. I so wanted to kiss her soft inviting lips, I had all I could do to keep from breaking down in tears. She smiled and kissed my cheek.

"Hello Bo, it's good to see your eyes open. You've been out for two days, I was starting to worry."

In my raspy voice I asked, "Have you been here the whole time?"

She nodded as she sat not letting go of my hand, "Mom brought me underwear and some clothes along with toothbrush and stuff."

The nurse busying herself with the numerous hoses and lines in my body piped up.

"She's quite the trooper, she hasn't left your side other than to use the restroom since you got out of surgery. We've been bringing her snacks from the cafeteria."

When the nurse left she closed the curtain but left the door open.

"How bad is it Hannah?" I asked.

I saw her wince, "They said you were lucky the guy was such a crummy shot, the bullet went through just missing your lung. Doc said it'll take some time, but you'll be 100 percent when you're completely healed. Babe, I'm gonna call my folks with the good news, I'll be back in a few minutes."

I was still in a fog as she walked out but I was sure she'd called me babe. I desperately wanted to tell her of my love, at the same time I was afraid of scaring her away. Considering I was on a morphine drip, now might not be the best time to try and convey my feelings for her. My best shot was to stay quiet. When she came back we talked another hour or more, well, more like she talked and I listened as I drifted in and out. It was coming up on late afternoon and I was holding my own, it made no sense for her to spend another night in a chair next to the bed.

"Hannah, you should go home, take a shower and get some rest, I'm okay."

Smiling she quipped, "Are you saying I stink mister?"

The machines were beeping rapidly and a nurse came rushing in as I tried to find a way to tell Hannah I wasn't saying she stunk. Hannah rescued me.

"Shhh, Bo. Calm down, it was a joke, I was only kidding. Now that your awake I'm gonna do as you suggest, I'm going home and get a decent night sleep. I'll come back around mid-morning, maybe mom will ride along. Oh ... she looked in on you when she brought my clothes, guess what she said. She told me she thinks your cute."

What she did next made the machines red line or beep or whatever they do when the body goes into overload, she bent over my face, gently kissed my lips and whispered, "So do I."

Three days later I was being wheeled out and helped into Hannah's car. We hadn't kissed again but there was a lot of holding hands and showing affection to one another. In the car I asked about my truck.

"Mr. Gleason has it locked up behind the store in the fenced area. Don't worry about wood deliveries either, it's covered. Daddy talked with John Ness and his sister Kate, you know, the ones who own the phone company. Anyway, he told them your situation and got them to activate the call forwarding feature on your phone, the calls have been coming to our house. My cousin Elliot is a senior and hasn't found part time work, so dad let him use his old pickup and Elliot is making deliveries for the time being."