This is part 2 of the story. Before I get too deep into this tale, I want to express my gratitude to my readers for your support , enthusiasm and helpful comments. To my younger readers I would like to apologize for the profanity and violence. Unfortunately they were both a part of my childhood. I hope and pray it will not be part of yours. I feel to hide that would be disingenuous. So take it in stride and realize it's only a story and not a manual for how to live your life. That being said let's return to our regularly scheduled program already in progress. The door Buddy runs out of is swinging shut when I realize I didn't tell him about the gun. I run out to tell him. I look for his car, which is a cherry red 1972 Ford Torino GT convertible with a 302 c.i. engine. I hear it before I see it as he rounds the corner to find me waving like a mad man. He pulls along side me, rolls down the window and I say " Buddy I'm so sorry about your brother. I didn't know. " He cuts me off with a wave saying "Believe me, I know you didn't. I've got to go warn a few people, so please let me go." He starts to drive and I slap his trunk and he screeches to a stop. Leaning out of his car he says " Are you nuts hitting my car? What do you want?" I say " Buddy he's got a gun in a black doctors bag, just so you know." Shaking his head he says "Sheeeit, I don't even want to know how you know that. Don't sweat it, he ain't the only one, I got it covered. If you see Gary tell him I went to Armonk to tell Kenny. Now would you please get out of my way." He starts and stops suddenly and leans out looking back saying "Thanks kid, that took some balls." I smile and walk back into the bowling alley to find unc standing there just watching. He turns and starts walking away. I run after him, but before I even get a word out he says " Boy don't you start spinning some yarn just to save your ass. If you gonna tell me, then do it like a man and be honest or just keep your mouth shut." I run and hug him and start spilling my guts and crying. I say " I know I deserve a whooping unc. I know 'sorry' don't mean shit. I know I'm in way over my head and I'm really scared." Unc walks me to the bar and sits me at the table. He comes back with 2 shots of Old Granddad Bourbon and slides one over to me saying " Up to my head and down to my toes look out stomach her it goes." He throws the shot back and gently places it back down on the table saying "Ahhh, Nice and clean every time. Go on, I knows you already been drinking, so don't stop on my account. Might as well see it through." I don't say anything I just down the shot and shiver as my stomach burns and I start to feel less scared. Unc says"So let me see if I got this straight boy. This sucker saves you, then lies about who he is and shows you he has a gun. Is that about right?" I nod. He continues " Now please tell me you didn't tell him where you live or anything about me. Did you?" I think, then answering " No unc I didn't say anything about our house . But he seems to know about you." Unc snorts and says " Sheeeit boy he don't know the first damn thing about me. I guess It won't do no good telling you to stay away from these smalltime crooks will it?" I open my eyes wide and spread my arms and shrug. Unc quickly retorts " Yeah, yeah, I already knew the answer." I look and see Gary Roberts bopping in, waving hello to us. Unc waves him over and hands him a twenty saying "Get us 2 shots of Old Granddad and yourself something." Looking at the money and then at me, unc says "Now go on ,we ain't got all day." Scared again, but very excited I say "You got a plan don't you?" Unc squints, which means shut up. Gary comes back with the drink and puts the shots by unc and a long neck Budweiser in front of himself. Unc raises his glass and says " To wiser men than us" We drink, I gag and cough, they both laugh. Feeling a little woozy I say " So whats the plan?" I raise my hand in front of me and say "Wait, I know I know, Jody shut up ." Unc and Gary catch up on whats been said and start to talk about whats the smartest way to handle all of this before it handles us.
Gary suggests " Hey, why don't I call Armonk and see what's up with Buddy and Kenny." Unc asks " Stanleys Kenny?"
Gary answers "Yea what
Kenny did you think I was talking about?" Unc frowning says " Does
Stanley know about any of this?"
Gary replies " Well he should he's the one who bailed us out the night of the robbery. I jump in " Robbery, jail? Woah! What's next murder and mayhem?" Unc flicks his sausage like finger against my head, ringing my bell, then he says " Yea you if you don't button your lip." Now both in unison " Shut up Jody!!" I start to get sleepy and lay my head on the table when James Gwatney and Jimmy Lee roll in seeing me they say " What happened to him? Is he going to be able to bowl tonight?" Unc and Jimmy Lee talk alone for a bit and come back. Jimmy says " Let's go stud you got a match right now so get ready. I lift my head off the table and stagger. I go look for my euipment and find the lanes I'm bowling on. As I shoe up I find James Gwatney putting his shoes on ready to bowl. I say "Are you bowling?" He looks at me scrunching up his face and says " Yea , you. So let's do it. $100 a game 3 games another hundred for series you're up on 17." Looking around for unc I say " Does unc know about this match ?" Jimmy Lee comes up next to me and says " It's a doubles match, you and James against me and Jerry Soroken." I get set and feel my body sway back and forth. I begin my approach and stagger left and yank it right to throw it in the gutter and fall down. Getting up I say " Wow I guess I slipped." James grabs e and looks in my eyes saying "Are you fucking kidding me ? He's drunk Jimmy!" Jimmy picks me up off the ground and says "What have you been up to?" Before I can answer James grabs me agan and sits me down saying " What a sin and a shame, you gonna waste both my money and my time after all we done for you. Sheeit, you must be crazy. Get out of here before we get mad." They go back to bowling and I grab my gear pack it up and leave to look for unc. I walk all over the alley asking and looking, but no one seems to know where unc is. Finally I go to the snack bar to talk to the new fry cook Julie Diaz " Have you seen unc around?" She looks at me and says "Woowee!! Don't you look like yesterdays news, cutie pie?" Having a pounding headache I lookup at her and say "Well have you?" Getting that pissed off look she says "Jody cut the attitude. Vic has me working a double and I could use a little more help and a little less attitude. Wash up in back and start the dishes. I'm out. League's coming in soon and I need you to do prep." I slur a " Sure baby wha zever jew zay." Hic, burp, giggle. Julie leans in as if to kiss me and I start to kiss her back when she pushes me in my chest so hard I fall on my ass. She says " You're drunk off your ass. How did you get this wasted? Here." She offers me her hand to get up sayimg " Don't get anymore ideas Romeo, I ain't interested o.k.?" I get up, brush myself off, saying "Whatever... your loss. Don't think I'm helping you now after that. I'm outta here." Walking away I flick my hand at her, as if she's a fly bothering me. Hearing my name I turn around and see John Smith. My stomach free falls as I freeze in genuine fright. In a cocky strut that's headed my way I try to stand my ground but stagger. He grabs both my shoulders and says " Easy there kimosabe, I hope I'm not the one who started this forest fire." Feeling like I have to puke I run away in the direction of the bathroom. Just barely making it I start to empty the contents of my stomach and what feels like my eyeballs dropping in the toilet. I continue to kneel, pray and puke until the spasms pass. Getting up I stumble out of the stall to the sink and look in the mirror to see the wreck of what today has brought me. I have cuts and bruises from school. My eyes are past bloodshot and into the purple spectrum. I'm shaking, cold and scared.The door opens and John walks in carrying a towel, a brush and mouthwash. He lays them on the edge of the sink and backs away to the wall lighting a Marlboro. Taking a deep inhale he holds it, closes his eyes and slowly lets it out. Opening them he says "I seem to always be telling you to clean up. I always carry extra stuff in my car. Go ahead and use it, you'll at least look a little better." My arms supporting me on the sink I lift my head, look in the mirror and nod a thank you. I clean myself up and ask " Where do you want these?" I say pointing to the stuff he lent me. Turning to walk out he opens the door with one hand and flicks his other hand for me to follow him. As we walk he says "Unc's at Armonk. I told him I 'd bring you with me. Let's call there and you can talk to him." Confused I follow him to the payphone as he dials the number from memory. Covering the mouth piece he asks " What's uncs' real name?" Having to think a second I finally say" Gilbert Jones" John speaks " Yes, Would you be so kind as to please page a Mr. Glbert Jones? Thank you, why yes of course." He hands me the phone and I say "Unc?" Unc answers " Good you're alright. I talked to John and we agreed on him giving you a ride over here. I already talked to your mother and she's picking us up here late. See you in a few" I say "O.k. unc." I hang up the phone and follow John as he walks out the side door of the bowling alley to his car . I'm cold and start to shiver as I see my breath. John takes off his black leather jacket and hands it to me. I say "Thanks" as he unlocks my side to let me in. Before I can sit down, he put his index finger on my chest saying " Just don't puke. I'll stop, but don't you puke in my car . Got it?" I nod and get in. I carefully close the door as he walks around to his side. He starts up the car and turns the heat on. We pull out of the parking lot and go to the light . Waiting there a 1970 lemon yellow corvette rolls up next to us revving its engine. John looks over at the driver and smiles revving his back as an answer. He looks at me and says " Hold on while I squeeze the juice out of this lemon over here." The light turns green and the tires scream as they spin scorching the asphalt. Finally grabbing we catapalt forward zooming through the smoke we just made. Shifting, the car jerks forward again and I'm pinned to my seat as trees and houses fly by in a blur. The corvette whizs by us and John smiles. We shift again and the car leaps forward stronger than before . I look over at the speedometer to see it go past 100 like a windsheild wiper on high. We are dead even as we fly down the highway to the next light. We downshift and break to stop. The corvette is still revving its' challenge. Once again as the light changes we dance back and forth. The car whinning in 4th gear as John reaches under the dash and flicks a metal switch. He floors it as he shifts into 5th. When he let the clutch go it's as if we were sling shotted forward. We fly by the Corvette and keep going through a red light and still going faster until John lets out a scream " Yahooo! We just smoked that rich ass sucker. I bet we hit at least 160. " The ride to Armonk takes 30 minutes we were there in 10. We pull in and park. As John shuts off the engine he turns to me and says "I want you to know that I helped you because of you, not because of who you know. We clear on that?" I nod saying " Sure, I really appreciate it too so you know. We clear?" I smile then say " Oh Oh " I open the door and roll out on all four as I empty the remains of my stomach on the concrete. John throws me the towel again and says " Well at least it wasn't in the car. Looks like things are looking up for you." We get out and walk in. I see unc in the bar. I run in and hug him. He looks at me and says " You know there are somethings you can't learn the hard way." I hop up to the bar and introduce my self to the bartender saying " I'm with unc here. Do you guys have any snacks?" He reaches his right and to me saying "Eddie Hayes, like my mother would say when ever anyone asked about my grades. She would answer What? Eddie He's all Hayes across the board." Then tosses me a menu and I order 4 different appetizers. I hand the menu back and say "I'm hungry, really hungry." Unc looks over at me and says " Boy don't think I'm paying for all that you got money. Go on spend it see how it feels." I reach in my pockets to find them empty I look around and the bartender puts his hand on mine saying " New customers are on the house, enjoy." I say " Thank you so much . I m starving." He looks at unc and winks. Then says "So young man what'll it be Beer, wine , bourbon or may a nice cold..." Before he gets it out I cover my mouth frantically looking around . He point to the bathroom and I once again kneel before the consequences of my actions. Unc comes in and comforts me with news of his discussion with John Smith who I find out is not John Smith after all. But as far as we're concerned he is. Unc then goes on to explain that this guy is a professional not like the other guys . He's here to put a crew together for some big job his cellmate told him about . He wanted to know If I was interested. I said "Maybe in a few years when my little bird can fly solo and not crash land." I ask "So unc?" He waves his hand and says " That's it. No more talk of this to anyone even between us." Now lets go and try to get some food in you before your mama gets here. I had sobered up by the time my mama arrived and went home straight to bed with dreams of bank robbers dancing through my mind. That's my cue. Thanks and Goodnight. Jody
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