Author's note: I just want to thank you all for your patience and for reading my story. Read and enjoy! :o)
Saturday, September 10, 1977
Home of Bill and Susannah Lewis
Early morning
Lewis let out a yawn as he raised the trunk of the Dodge Charger. He slid behind the wheel and waited for his friends to get in. Mattie arrived to the car first. She opened the passenger side door and climbed into the back seat behind Lewis. Tricia came to the car next. She placed a large yellow tote bag in the trunk. She closed it, then got in and sat next to her cousin.
"Tell me again why I'm up this early on a Saturday morning," Tricia said through her yawn. "Because you're getting paid for a half day of work," Mattie replied. "Because Dad's gonna pay each of us fifty dollars instead of thirty dollars to work for four hours," Lewis chimed in. Tricia looked at Mattie, pointed at Lewis and said, "I like his answer better." Mattie made a face and poked her in the shoulder. "I said the same thing."
After a few minutes of waiting, Bobby was finally walking to the car. Lewis started it as soon as he got in and shut the door. Susannah Lewis lightly rapped on the front passenger side window. Bobby let the window down. She folded her arms on the window frame, leaning in. "Bill and I will see you guys in a few minutes at the shop," she said. Everyone except for Bobby murmured, "Okay." He sat in silence with his head down, staring at the floor.
Susie tapped Bobby on the shoulder and said, "Hey, you." He looked up at her with sad brown eyes. She smiled at him. "Don't worry about Mr. Graham. Everything will be alright." Mrs. Haynes' phone call to the Lewises came after the case worker had left. Bill Lewis called him as he promised to let him know of Bobby's whereabouts. Mr. Graham made arrangements to see Bobby on Monday afternoon.
"It's not going to matter what I say to Mr. Graham," Bobby said flatly. "He's not going to listen to me anyway." "Don't think the worst, sweetie. You've got to remain positive," Susie said. He shrugged. "Okay." She smiled, then squeezed his shoulder reassuringly. "Be careful getting to the shop," she said before backing away from the car. Lewis began to drive away as he and the girls smiled and waved at Susie. Bobby just let the window back up and focused on looking at the car floor.
"What do you guys want to do after work?" Mattie asked. "Well, we gotta pick up DeLane and go to Mr. Liu's for our Shakespeare books," Lewis answered. "There's a Steve McQueen double feature at the old movie theatre. Let's go there." Bobby said, "Doreen said we can come to her restaurant today for dinner if we want to." Tricia and Mattie clapped their hands gleefully. "Ooo. I love going there! The pizza is sooooo good," Mattie squealed. Lewis and Bobby both laughed. "I guess I know where we're going for dinner," Lewis said.
"Bobby, you know CeCe works at Mr. Liu's," Mattie said. "You gonna apologize to her or what?" Bobby shrugged. "I don't know," he replied as he turned his head to look out of the window. "Well you just can't walk in there and completely ignore her. That's rude." "I know that, Mattie! Damn!" he snapped. "Quit thinking that I'm an idiot or something!" A dark scowl crossed her face as she glared at the back of his head. She flung herself back into her seat with her arms crossed. With her teeth clenched, Mattie said, "I'm just saying that if you're not going to be her friend any more, you should at least say you're sorry for what you did before you turn your back on her."
Bobby turned around angrily in his seat. He gave Mattie the meanest look he could muster up. She gave him her meanest look back. He turned around to stare out the window. The car was filled with angry tension. "Oh, brother," Lewis quietly mumbled under his breath. When he had stopped at a traffic light, he looked over his shoulder at Tricia. She shook her head and silently mouthed, "Let them figure it out." He sighed, then turned his attention back to the road. He sighed as he continued driving towards his dad's automotive shop in a car filled with chilly silence. "This is going to be a long day," he thought.
Saturday, September 10, 1977
Harpers' Apartment Building
Early morning
"I swear to God, I don't know what in the world is wrong with you Harper men," Rosalie said after she took a sip of her coffee. She was sitting in her kitchen area with her brother-in-law, Charlie Lee Harper, and his wife, Vivian. "Oh, come on, Rosie," Charlie Lee said. "Don't be so hard on Derek. He was just trying to protect his sister. That's all." She narrowed her eyes at him/ "Protect his sister?! Derek embarrassed CeCe because she kissed a boy for the very first time for Pete's sake!" "He was defending his sister's honor! He didn't do anything wrong!" Rosalie scoffed, then took a sip of her drink.
"Charlie Lee, you've got to admit Derek did go a little overboard," Vivian said. "CeCe told him the truth about that boy NOT touching her, but he decided that she was lying and went out of his way to prove that she was lying. That's just like you and your brothers." "My point exactly!" Rosalie exclaimed. Charlie Lee looked at his wife. "Woman, whose side are you on?" he asked. "I'm not taking sides. I'm simply pointing out a seriously major flaw in your logic. Period."
Charlie Lee shook his head. "There's nothing wrong with my logic," he said. "We Harper men just know that sometimes the women in our lives will lie to us and it's our duty to find out the truth." Rosalie and Vivian looked at each other. "I call that hard headed, stubborn, stupid AND wrong," Rosalie said. Vivian nodded her head in agreement. He let out a heavy sigh, knowing what his sister-in-law said was right. "Okay. I know you're right. Let me have a heart-to-heart talk with him. If you'll let him out of the house today, that is." Rosalie said, "As long as Derek is with you, he can go anywhere. Just make sure to have him home by 11."
"Yes, ma'am," Charlie Lee said with a smile. Just then CeCe emerged from her room, wearing a simple short sleeve yellow peasant blouse and denim jeans. "There's my favorite niece. You look very pretty, sweetheart." CeCe smiled. "Thank you, Uncle Charlie." She hugged him first. Then she hugged Vivian and her mother respectively. "What are your plans for today?" Rosalie asked. "I have my first dance lesson with Mrs. Hamilton after work. I'll be home after that."
"Aren't you going to hang out with Bobby and the rest of your new friends?" Vivian asked. CeCe lowered her head. She shrugged her shoulders and replied softly, "Probably not." Rosalie smacked Vivian's knee under the table, giving her a "you-shouldn't-have-asked-that" look. "Ouch! I'm sorry. I forgot." A stifled giggle escaped CeCe's lips. "It's okay, Aunt Vivian. I don't know if we're still friends." "Aww, sweetie. It's their loss if they don't want to be friends with you." CeCe hugged her aunt again. "Thanks, Aunt Viv."
"Speaking of dance lessons," Charlie Lee said to change the subject. He reached under his seat and pulled out a wrapped gift that was the size of a shoe box. He handed it to CeCe. "This is for you from me and your auntie." She ripped the paper off of the box, then lifted the lid. Inside of the box was a brand new pair of ballroom dance shoes. "I love them! Thank you, Uncle Charlie! Thank you, Aunt Vivian!" CeCe said excitedly as she hugged each of them. Then she showed the shoes to her mother. "Look at my new shoes, Mama!"
A wide smiled covered Rosalie's face. "I see. They're very nice," she said. She glanced at her watch. "You better hurry up or you'll be late to work." "Okay, Mama. Thanks." CeCe took the shoes out of the box. She walked over to the sofa to get her satchel, placing her gift inside. "I'll see you later, Mama. Bye, Uncle Charlie. Bye, Aunt Vivian," she said as she walked towards the door. "You want me to take you to work?" Charlie Lee asked. "No. I'll take the bus. Bye."
CeCe closed the apartment door behind her. She was humming a happy tune as she went down the stairs. She was happy because she was going to do something that she liked just as much as drawing. "This is going to be a great day!" she thought to herself. CeCe had forgotten, at least for the moment, all about her pain and Bobby.
Saturday, September 10, 1977
Saint Joseph Hospital
Early morning
"Looks like the weather is going to be nice today," Cal said. He was pushing Frances in a wheelchair along the hospital grounds. Doreen was walking along beside them. "Yeah. Maybe it will," she said. Frances remained quiet, lost in her thoughts. Doreen touched her shoulder. "What's the matter, Frances?" She shook her head without saying a word. Cal parked the wheelchair underneath a large tree next to a wooden bench. He locked the wheels before sitting down. He let his wife sit next to her cousin.
"Frances, talk to me," Doreen pleaded. "What's going on in that brain of yours?" Frances sat there in silence, staring out at the scenery in front of her. After a few minutes had passed, she said, "I always knew the day would come when Bobby would screw up." "What? Bobby hasn't screwed up. What are you talking about?" "Don't talk to me like I'm some kind of idiot, Doreen! Bobby is about to get himself locked up in a loony bin because of this stupid fight he had!"
Doreen groaned loudly. Part of her wished that she hadn't told Frances about yesterday's events at Bobby's school. She took a moment to compose herself before saying, "Frances, Mr. Graham is just going to talk to Bobby on Monday. That' it. I honestly don't think he and his superiors are going to rush to any kind of judgement based on Bobby having one little fight." Frances scoffed. "How can you be so naïve? It is a social worker's job to take children away from their parents. Bobby just fueled the fire to make that happen!"
"I refuse to believe that Mr. Graham is going to take Bobby away from you," Doreen said calmly. "He has shown so far that he is a fair and reasonable man." She took Frances' hand into both of her hands and squeezed. "You've got believe that Mr. Graham will hear all of us out and will come up with something that we can live with." Frances placed her free hand on top of Doreen's. They looked at each other and smiled. "You can't fix everything you know," Frances said. "I'm broken. Bobby's broken. The only person who has their stuff together is Frank. I don't know how he managed to avoid it." "I know I can't fix everything," Doreen said. "Besides, you're not that broken." A smirk made its way across her face after that remark. Frances let out a small laugh.
Doreen let go of Frances' hands. She wrapped her arms around her cousin's arm, laying her head on her shoulder. "Everything will be okay, Frances. I promise," she said softly. Frances didn't say anything. She reached over and began patting Doreen on the shoulder. It was the only way she knew how to comfort her and prepare her for what might happen on Monday.
Saturday, September 10, 1977
Home of DeLane Palmer
12:45 p.m.
"Why do I get the feeling that I should be wearing a formal gown or something to be in this neighborhood?" Mattie said as she exited Lewis' car. All four teenagers had finished putting in their hours at Mr. Lewis' automotive shop. After the rush of customers had slowed down, he gave them the rest of the day off. They all had showered and changed into their regular clothes at the shop before hopping into the car and heading over to DeLane Palmer's house.
Tricia let out a low whistle. "Leave it to Lewis to go after the richest girl in school," she said. They were in an upper middle class neighborhood that was lined with lots of trees and picket fences surrounding the houses. DeLane's home was the largest house on the block. "Wow," Lewis said in awe. They stood there in the driveway gawking at the size of it. Bobby gave Lewis a little nudge with his elbow. "Go on. We'll stay here and wait for you." Tricia and Mattie both nodded their heads in agreement. Lewis made a face. "What?! Are you crazy?! I'm not going in there by myself!"
"Oh good grief, Lewis," Tricia said. "Go on in there. All of us don't need to be looked down upon and judged." "Yeah, Lewis," Mattie chimed in. "It'll be better if you go in by yourself." "I'm NOT going in there by myself. ALL of us are going." He folded his arms across his chest and glared at each of his friends. Bobby looked at the girls before looking back at his best friend. "Fine! We're coming with you," he said.
Lewis said, "Thank you." Then he turned around to lead the way towards the house. He knocked on the door when they reached the house. The door opened revealing a middle aged white woman wearing a light blue maid's uniform. "May I help you?" she asked. "Uh, yes, ma'am," Lewis said. "I'm Jedidiah Lewis. I'm here to pick up DeLane." "Please come in," she said. She opened the door wider and stepped to the side to let Lewis and his friends walk in. After closing the door, she led them into the living room.
At the opposite end of the living room, there was a woman with her long dark hair pulled into a ponytail sitting a piano. Sitting beside her was a little boy who couldn't have been no more than eight. She was helping him to position his fingers on the piano keys. When he started to play, she tousled his hair and got up. "Who are these young people, Miranda?' she asked the maid. "Mrs. Palmer, this is Jedidiah Lewis," Miranda said, pointing at Lewis. "He and his friends are here to pick up Miss DeLane." With that, she walked away to go upstairs to get DeLane.
"Oh, my!" Mrs. Palmer said. "It's always a pleasure to meet DeLane's friends." She shook hands with Lewis. He said, "These are my friends Bobby, Mattie and Tricia." She smiled at them; they waved at her. She turned her attention back to Lewis. "DeLane tells me that you're in her English class. She's your partner in some kind of assignment?" He nodded. "We're paired up as Romeo and Juliet." "Ah, I see."
"Hey, guys!" DeLane said cheerfully as she bounded down the stairs. She was dressed in a white top and long red bell bottomed pants. "Hey, DeLane," Lewis said. He had a big goofy grin on his face. Bobby playfully poked him the ribs. "Don't make a fool of yourself," he said teasingly under his breath. "Shut up!" Lewis snapped back in a low voice. DeLane gave Lewis a hug, which caught him by surprise. "How are you, Lewis?" she asked. "I'm fine." Mrs. Palmer looked confused. "I thought his name was Jedidiah," she said. "It is, Mother," DeLane explained. "He doesn't like to be called that though." "Oh."
"DeLane, you ready to go?" Bobby asked. "Yeah. Let me get my purse," she replied. DeLane kissed her mother on the cheek, then retrieved her purse from the couch. "See you later, Mother." She headed towards the front door followed by Lewis and the rest of his crew. Mrs. Palmer said, "Alright, dear. Be home by 11 o'clock tonight."
"Wow! This is a nice car, Lewis," DeLane said. She was sitting in the back seat in between Mattie and Tricia. "Thanks," he said as he pulled out of the driveway. "What else are we gonna do today?" "Going to the movies and eating pizza for dinner," Mattie replied. "That sounds like a great plan! Thanks for letting me hang out with you all," DeLane said. "No problem," Lewis said.
DeLane leaned over and touched Bobby on his shoulder. He turned to look at her. "Are-are you okay?" she asked him. "I'm good," was his reply. "I heard some rumors yesterday that the state was going to take you away from your mom. Is that true?" Before he could answer, Lewis said, "Not if my parents can help it." She let out a sigh of relief. "That's good to hear." "I'm suppose to see my case worker Monday after school," Bobby said. "I'll find out then what's going to happen to me."
"Oh, okay," DeLane said, sounding a little dejected. Lewis decided to lighten the mood in the car. He turned on the radio and Queen's "We Will Rock You" was starting to play. He turned it up louder, saying over the music, "Come on, you guys! Forget about the sad stuff. Let's get into party mode!" Everybody began clapping their hands and stomping their feet in time with the music. Bobby looked at Lewis out of the corner of his eye. He smiled to himself. He was feeling very grateful for having a best friend like him.
Saturday, September 10, 1977
Liu's New and Used Bookstore
1:15 p.m.
"It sure is busy in here," DeLane said as she walked through the door of the bookstore. Bobby was holding the door open for his friends, then he walked in behind them. He recognized some of the kids that were wandering through the store from school. He followed Lewis and DeLane over to the Shakespeare display. Tricia and Mattie had headed towards the back of the store where the pinball machines were. They wanted to see if Chase and Brad were back there.
"Hi, Lewis. Hi, Bobby," Mrs. Liu said when she approached them. "Hi, Mrs. Liu," Bobby and Lewis said simultaneously. "Who is this pretty young lady?" she asked, nodding her head in DeLane's direction. "This is DeLane Palmer, my Romeo and Juliet partner for English class," Lewis replied. DeLane cheerfully said, "Hi!" Mrs. Liu smiled. "Welcome to our humble place." She pointed to the back of the store. "There's popcorn and soda in the back. Give me your books and I'll put them behind the counter while you go help yourselves." "Thanks, Mrs. Liu," Bobby said, handing his book over to her. Lewis and DeLane handed their books to Mrs. Liu, then followed Bobby.
As they were walking, Bobby spotted CeCe at the end of an aisle. She a small stack of books in her hand. "I'll catch up with you guys in a minute," he said as he veered in the opposite direction. Lewis noticed CeCe, too. He said, "Try not to do or say anything stupid, will ya?" Bobby paused to look at him. He shook his head and rolled his eyes. "Whatever, man," he said when he walked off.
CeCe was crouched down, putting books on the bottom shelf when she felt the presence of someone standing over her. "Hey, CeCe." She looked up to see Bobby smiling down at her. She slowly straightened up, not saying a word. She clutched the last remaining book to her chest and stared at him. She really didn't know what to say. They stood there, staring at each other in silence. Bobby shoved his hands into his pockets and looked down at the ground when he saw tears forming in CeCe's eyes.
"H-h-hi," CeCe said hesitantly. Without saying another word, she walked away. Bobby followed her as she went around the corner. She placed the book she been holding on the shelf, then headed towards the office. She opened and closed the door. She plopped down into the desk chair. The tears finally made their way down her cheeks. She sniffled as she reached for her satchel to pull out a handkerchief.
There was a knock on the door. "CeCe, I'm coming in," Bobby said. He cautiously opened the door then stepped inside of the room. "Can we talk?" he asked softly. She still didn't know what to say. She felt like yelling at him, but couldn't. She really felt like running away, but he was standing between her and the only way out of the room. Instead, CeCe stood up and walked to the wall, placing her back against it. She dabbed at her eyes as she looked at the floor. "Go away!" she thought.
In a couple of steps, Bobby was standing in front of CeCe, looking down at her. "I-I-I just wanted to say that I'm sorry. I-I-I didn't mean to-to snap at you like that." She continued looking at the ground while he looked at her. He sighed heavily. "P-p-please forgive me, CeCe," he pleaded. She continued to give him the silent treatment.
Bobby sighed again. He dropped down to his knees in front of her, his head hung low. This move caught CeCe off guard. "What are you doing?" she asked. He raised his head to look her in the eye. "I'm apologizing the best way I know how," he replied. She was speechless for a few seconds. "Bobby, get up off the floor." He shook his head vigorously. "Not until you forgive me."
CeCe hesitated before she spoke. "Please get up." Bobby shook his head no. She nervously chewed on her bottom lip as she looked at his battle scarred and bruised face. "I forgive you," she said softly. "Now will you please get up? You're making me nervous." A small smile came to his lips as he stood up. He reached for the stool and sat down. "Why are you nervous?" he asked. "Because Mr. or Mrs. Liu could walk in here and think that you're proposing to me. That's why." "Oh."
Bobby and CeCe silently gazed at each other for a while. "I'm not stupid, you know," she said quietly. Bobby nodded in agreement. "I know. I was wrong and stupid for saying that." She smiled at him. "You're not stupid at all." He stood up, holding out his hand to her. "Can we be friends again?" he asked hopefully. CeCe's smile widen just a little as she reached for Bobby's hand to shake. "Okay," she answered.
Bobby pulled CeCe into his arms, giving her a big bear hug. She hugged him back. He sighed contently. It was a wonderful feeling to have his friend back in his life.