When We Were Young Ch. 21

Please read When We Were Young Ch. 20 and this will make a lot more sense.

Special thanks to kenjisato for the editing, whom I cannot recommend enough.

Comments would be appreciated.

**

We were up early the next morning, Nat and Carol heading home to check on their boys and get one of the other islands ready for a three-day, two-night corporate retreat. We walked with them to the dock, exchanged hugs, promised to be careful, to follow Roger's instructions, and to call and let them know how things had gone.

Then we headed toward the cottage to get ready, and I stopped to peel off the Speedos, which were on my bed when I stepped out of the shower, my sigh making Linda laugh. "Too tight, and hot."

"They did the trick, though," she grinned, and we re-lived our evening with Carol and Nat as we walked.

Della, our air taxi pilot, was due in thirty minutes, so we didn't waste any time getting ready. I put on some chinos and my long-sleeved, white linen shirt; sleeves rolled up to my elbows. Lin wore a flower print, loose-fitting, knee-length skirt, and a pink silk blouse.

"Ready?" she asked.

I looked at her and sighed. "As I'll ever be."

She smiled, softly, and linked her arm through mine. "I've got a good feeling about today."

"Yeah?"

"Yep."

"From your lips..." and we headed toward the dock.

Roger was waiting for us at the airport, and we drove to the bank and transferred his fee to his account. Then I withdrew five thousand dollars and shoved it in my pocket, just in case.

Walking outside, two big, black, four-wheel drive, four-door jeeps with tinted windows, sat waiting, glistening in the sun. They were impressive, and Roger smiled.

"Borrowed these from our counterterrorism folks. The gangs see these and get the message: heavily armed, elite guards inside. Fuck off."

Three Black men in their thirties stood nearby, dressed like Roger in dark blue camouflage uniforms, machine guns strapped to their chests. It was all intimidating as hell, and I was glad they were on our side.

Roger led us over and introduced us to Sam, Mac, and Jason.

"Jason grew up in 'Over the Hill', so he'll be in charge today. He has contacts in the rival gangs and will communicate with them as to the reason for our visit when we're on-site. We anticipate no issues, but all the same, if Jason tells you to do something, do it, no questions, right?"

We nodded.

Jason smiled. "I've met Lena Jefferson a couple of times, and she's not affiliated with either gang, which is good. It lessens the chance of a confrontation, but these guys aren't exactly what you'd call stable, so we'll be ready if they want to try something. Plus, the boys at the station know where we're going, so, if the shit hits the fan, they'll be there in a minute. Like Sarge said, do what I tell you and everything will be fine. Ready?"

We nodded and climbed into the back of the lead jeep, Mac at the wheel and Jason riding shotgun. Sam and Roger were right behind us in the other jeep.

Linda squeezed my hand and whispered, "Breathe, honey, just breathe." I nodded and took a few deep breaths, my neck stiff with tension.

Jason and Linda made small talk as we drove across the city, and the neighborhoods got more depressing the further we went, until Jason sat up straight.

"Here we go," he said, passing two teenagers lounging on scooters by the side of the road, one raising a cell phone to his ear as we passed.

'Who would fight over this?' I wondered to myself. The homes were small, less than six hundred square feet, made of concrete or cinder blocks, with concrete or corrugated-tin roofs, most in serious disrepair. Bars covered every intact window and door. Graffiti was everywhere, covering nearly every available surface, and little kids stood barefoot and dirty, watching us pass.

KJ had made it out of here, only to encounter something worse far from home. It was so depressing.

"Thirty seconds, Tony. Tony?" Jason turned around to look at me.

I nodded, vaguely.

"You two stay in the jeep while I see if Mrs. Jefferson is home, then I'll come out and escort you inside, okay?"

I was staring at the houses and kids, and Linda squeezed my hand until I winced.

"Ow."

"You with me, Mr. Webster?" Jason asked, watching me intently.

"Wait for you to come get us?"

"That's right," his eyes slid to Linda, who scooted over and rubbed my leg.

We stopped at a house like those around it, small and tired, weeds and grass two feet tall, and I sighed.

Jason put sunglasses on and stepped into the street, looked around for several seconds, then went up to the door; a child answered his knock. He bent down and the two talked for a minute before the child disappeared and Jason stood up, looking around.

Then the child was back, opening the door. Jason spoke into a mic on his shoulder, and inside the jeep, Mac put his finger to his earpiece.

"We're good to go, she's inside. I'll open the door, you get out and walk right in, no looking around, okay?"

Linda nodded and smacked my leg. I jumped. "We're ready," she said, and Mac hopped out and opened our door, then Lin dragged me out of the jeep and pulled me along the broken concrete walk and inside.

**

The home was one big room, with a tiny kitchen and bath hidden behind a curtain. A twin bed was in one corner, a small cot in another. A small, weathered woman who looked way beyond fifty sat in a rocking chair across the room, a small TV playing on mute nearby. A couple of mismatched lamps were the only light, a dark screen covering the one small window.

And in the corner nearest the door, the child, a boy, sat on a stool, colored chalk on the concrete floor, a picture in progress on the concrete wall.

Jason and Lena, Mrs. Jefferson, said a few words to each other and then he crossed the room to us.

"She's sick, cancer, and tires easily, so say what you have to say. We'll be outside," Jason said, then stepped out the door.

Cancer. Jesus.

We dragged a couple of plastic chairs over and sat down. Her hair was gray, had been recently styled, and she wore a clean, threadbare housecoat. A large, beautiful flower arrangement sat on a nearby coffee table. The place was tired and worn out, but it was clean. I liked that.

"The church been helping out some. Ain't them flowers beautiful?" she asked, her voice little more than a whisper.

"Very beautiful. Thank you for agreeing to see us," Linda said, then nudged me after a few seconds.

"Uh, yes, thank you, Mrs. Jefferson. We won't take up much of your time."

"Lena, everybody call me Lena."

"Lena. We came to talk to you about KJ," and her eyes locked in on me. She nodded.

"I knew KJ at university in Missouri; we were on the basketball team together when he was there."

She nodded, and put her hand in the pocket of her housecoat, I assumed for a tissue. Wrong. She pulled out a gun and pointed it right at me. It was small, a twenty-two, I thought, and she held it steady.

I raised my hands and nearly fell off my chair. I must've come up with fifty scenarios on how today might go, and this most definitely was NOT one of them.

"You one a them what raped my baby?" her voice calm, her hand steady, her eyes mean.

I shook my head rapidly, but couldn't speak.

"Tony was raped, too, Lena," Linda soothed, and Lena's eyes slid to Linda's for a few seconds, then back to mine.

"What's your name?"

"Tony. Tony Webster, ma'am," I squeaked, my eyes on the gun, her finger on the trigger.

"Tony Webster," she whispered, then lowered the gun, looked down, and put it in her pocket.

"Tony Webster," she said again, then looked at me with a sad smile.

"You can put them hands down, baby."

I lowered my hands and watched her carefully, Linda reaching over to squeeze my hand, which was shaking.

"I been waitin' near on five years for one a them bastards to get close enough for me ta kill. Sorry 'bout that."

"I understand," I nodded.

"So why you here, Tony Webster? Why now?"

"Well, you see, the thing is," I fumbled. Now that I was actually here, none of the things I had planned to say would come out of my mouth.

"I was very sorry to hear he had died," I finally managed. "He was a really good guy, funny, we had fun together before, well, you know."

"The rapes," she said.

I didn't like to use that word, I usually said hazing. Rape was just so, jarring, I guess. It upset me, but she wasn't wrong.

"Yes, ma'am. You see, after it happened, I just sort of pretended it hadn't, I guess. And then all those memories I had buried for years came out one night about eighteen months ago, when I was with Linda. I'm sorry. Ma'am, this is Linda, my wife."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Lena," Linda smiled, and Lena nodded, then turned back to me.

"I thought I had moved past it, that I had dealt with the, uh, rapes, and with KJ's death, but I hadn't, not at all. With Linda's help, and a wonderful therapist, I was able to deal with what happened and the guilt I had carried for so long."

"What guilt?"

"I should've done more, tried harder, to keep him safe. I should've told him to leave, not, not, I'm so sorry..." and I lowered my head, tears flowing freely.

Linda got up, stood behind me, and wrapped me in a hug while I struggled not to lose it completely. Then a little black hand was patting me on the arm.

"Don't cry."

I turned my head, and the little boy was watching me. I gave him a weak smile, and he smiled brightly in return. That's when I saw the resemblance. I jerked my head up and looked at Lena, who smiled softly.

"This is Kevin Jefferson, my Kevin's boy. We call him KJ," she said, pride and love in her voice.

I looked at him, and it was obvious, I just hadn't been paying attention.

Linda squatted down next to me.

"Hi, KJ. My name's Linda, and it's very nice to meet you."

KJ smiled, and it was like I was looking at his dad.

"KJ, go show Linda what you is drawing for me," Lena said.

"Okay, Nana," he replied, took Lin's hand, and led her over to the corner.

"I didn't know," I said, wiping my eyes.

"When Kevin come home, he wouldn't talk to nobody, just laid in the corner over there and slept, day and night, for almost a month. Then he started going out, and I was happy, at first. Then he stopped coming home, and when he did, I could tell the drugs had got him.

"I tried everything I knowed to help, but he weren't strong enough. See, I worried about him before when he went to the States, because he weren't tough in here," she said, touching her head.

"He was big and strong, but inside I knowed he was still soft, needed time to grow up on the inside. One of the reasons I pushed him to go to your university, to get away from the gangs and the drugs, somewhere safe to be while he growed up on the inside."

"Safe," I sighed, and shook my head.

"When he come home, my boy was broken, and it was just a matter of time before the drugs or the gangs collected another one. A few months after he come back, he brought Jessie home. She were two months pregnant, hooked on drugs, and wanted my help to keep her clean until the baby come. Jessie tried so hard and did real good, but then overdosed three weeks after KJ was born; my Kevin a month later."

I got on my knees and hugged her, gently, both of us quietly crying.

"I'm so sorry," I whispered, sitting back.

"Not your fault, you hear me, Tony? Kevin told me how hard you tried, everything you did for my baby. I know you tried to shield him from the worst of them, provoking them and taking it so he wouldn't have to."

A memory flashed through my mind, a horrible incident, maybe the worst, where Jamaal and a couple of others had...only then was it that I remembered KJ holding me in bed, after, telling me not to do that again, that he could take it.

"I tried," I whispered, more to myself than to Lena.

I really had tried. So many of the things I had done took on a new perspective. I really had tried to make them focus on me, not because I liked it or wanted it, but to keep them away from KJ, who I could see was in trouble. Hmmpf.

"I know you did, Tony. Kevin said you tried to get him some help afterward, but he just couldn't. He was already gone, in a way, and the memories at university were just too much for him; he thought I could help him," and shook her head.

"Tell me about you, Tony, you and Linda, your life."

"A castle, for real?" she asked, ten minutes later.

I nodded and grinned. "It's crazy, but true. That's part of the reason we wanted to see you, ma'am, to see if there's anything you need, anything we can do for you, anything at all. Jason mentioned cancer. I'm so sorry. Are you getting treatment? We'll pay for it, no problem. Or move you someplace else, out of this neighborhood. Or KJ--"

Lena raised her hand and smiled. "You just like Kevin said you was. Honey, the doctor told me I got maybe a month is all, maybe less, ain't nothing they can do. In fact, the church is coming by tomorrow to take KJ to the orphanage, so he don't see me pass, and remembers me like this."

I turned my head to the corner, KJ sitting on Lin's lap on the stool, drawing on the wall and talking quietly. She turned her head, smiled, and nodded, then turned her head back and kissed his cheek.

I'm not positive she heard, but I knew we were thinking the same thing.

"Would you consider letting us adopt him, ma'am? It would mean the world to us, and we promise to love him the way you do, the way I know KJ did. We're planning to start a family soon, so he'd have brothers and sisters, and we have puppies he can play with, and we'll give him anything he nee--"

She raised her hand, and I stopped rambling.

She looked at me for a long moment, then over to the corner. "KJ, come here," she called as loudly as she could manage.

He hopped off Lin's lap and came over, Lin sitting down beside me.

"Yes, Nana?"

"You remember Father David is coming tomorrow to take you to your new home?"

"I remember, Nana, because of the cancer," he replied, quietly, looking sad and leaning against her.

"That's right. But, you know, I been thinking. Your name is Kevin, right?"

"Of course, Nana," he giggled.

"And you was named after your daddy. Do you remember your middle name?" Lena asked.

He looked down and thought for a few seconds. "Tony?"

"That's right, it's Tony." Her eyes cut to me, startled. Lin squeezed my hand.

"Your daddy named you Tony because he had a friend for a little while with that name, who he liked very much, who looked after him. Well, this is that man, your daddy's very good friend, and he's come a long way to visit us. Do you understand?"

KJ looked from me to his nana and back to me.

"You was my daddy's friend?"

I nodded, tears in my eyes. "I was, KJ. I liked him very much."

KJ stepped over and hugged me, Lin's hand on my back, Lena smiling at us.

"I don't remember him," KJ said.

"I'll tell you all about him, okay, everything I can remember," setting him on my lap, and he nodded.

"You know, KJ, I talk to your daddy every night 'fore I fall asleep."

"In heaven," the little boy said.

"That's right. And last night he told me his very good friend and his wonderful wife was going to come and get you and take you to live with them, to be your new family."

KJ's eyes were as big as saucers, watching his nana talk.

"He did?" amazement in his voice.

"Yep."

"Can Nana come, too? Pleeeease?" he asked, looking up at me.

Lena started to answer, but I got there first.

"Of course, she can. First, we need to go to the hospital and make sure she can travel, make sure she's okay. Right, Nana?"

She stared daggers at me for a moment, then relented, and smiled at her grandson.

"That's right, honey. Go get your things together, now," she said, and he slipped to the floor and gave Linda a big hug, smiling widely, then ran over to the corner.

"They can at least make you more comfortable," I said, quietly. "I can see you're in pain. And if you're up for it, we can fly you out to the island. It's beautiful," I added.

She sighed, and looked at Linda. "Does he always have to be in charge?"

"Actually, I'm the one in charge. I think you got off easy," she grinned.

Lena, or Nana, chuckled.

"Tony," the voice said.

"Yes, ma'am."

"Go tell Jason we need an ambulance to the best hospital or private clinic they have, and we'll need two rooms.

"Then call that lawyer Lauren recommended and find out how adoptions work down here. Tell him we have no time to waste, and if he gives you any shit, remind him what shitty service he provided us last time with that lazy, worthless private investigator. If that doesn't work, I'll talk to him.

"Call Carol and Nat and tell them we won't be back tonight, and we'll call them tomorrow.

"Am I forgetting anything?" she asked.

"I'll call Carmen and arrange some time to talk to her later, get her advice."

"Good idea. Go," she said, then looked at Nana.

"Told ya," she grinned, and Nana chuckled.

I leaned in and took Nana's hand. "Thank you so much. We'll love him like our own, and make sure he never forgets you, or his parents. I, we, promise."

Nana squeezed my hand, lightly, and looked at us.

"I asked God for help last night, to send a good couple to take KJ away from here, to love him, help him grow into a kind man. I never thought it would be you, Tony, and you, honey, but I couldn't be happier," her eyes wet with tears.

I'm not a religious guy, at all, but I said a little prayer of thanks of my own, for giving me another chance, and promised not to screw it up this time.

"Go," Linda said, kissing my cheek.

"I don't think you'll be needing this gun anymore, do you? Now, what can I pack for you?" Linda was saying as I headed for the door.

KJ was sitting on his stool, concentrating on his drawing, and we exchanged grins.

I opened the door a foot, bright daylight blinding me after the dimness of the room, and Roger turned to face me.

"Ready to go?"

"Just about. Nana, Mrs. Jefferson, I mean, and KJ, the boy, are coming with us. They won't be coming back," and Roger broke into a smile.

"We need an ambulance to the best hospital or private clinic on the island."

"St. Mary's has a private wing we've used before; it's excellent. I'll call them right now."

"Two connecting rooms."

"Right," Roger said, then frowned.

"Do you have any cash?" he asked.

"Some, why?"

"Ambulances require cash up front, good ones anyway. They won't come here, generally, but if I identify myself and offer an inducement, they will."

"Will a thousand dollars be enough?"

"More than enough," he smiled.

"Do it. And thanks."

I looked around for the first time and a crowd of fifty or so was standing in a semicircle, most of them elderly or under seven, but a handful that might have been in a gang.

Ten little kids were walking around the jeeps, Mac answering their questions, his eyes watching the street. Jason was walking the line of onlookers, talking quietly. I couldn't see Sam.

"Everything okay out here?"

"Fine. No trouble. Everybody respects Mrs. Jefferson, and we told them you're here to help. Still, we don't wanna stick around for a picnic."

"Right," I said, and closed the door.

Linda had filled a battered suitcase with a broken hasp with clothes and a Bible. She brought it over and set it by the door.

"What should we do with their stuff?" she whispered, and I shrugged.

Roger stuck his head in and told us to be ready in fifteen minutes.

"Nana, anybody you want to say goodbye to, or give some of your things to?" Linda asked.

"Ruth, next door. Ask her to come over, please."

I hopped up and relayed the request to Roger, noticing that KJ was drawing furiously. I started to look at the wall, but Ruth showed up and she went and sat next to Nana.