Chapter 13: That's What Friends Are For

When Leroy got out of bed on Monday morning, he felt great. Leroy had learned about Jesus, well, maybe he didn't learn everything; but he learned something. He had a great new friend in Harley Duran who liked him.

What was even more important was that he, Harley, respected him, Leroy. Because he had never had true acceptance and the respect of a fellow man before, Leroy never realized how much it was a part of what he sought and felt lacking in his life.

He also learned from watching Harley how it was just plain old okay to show affection and even love toward your woman. Leroy kissed Cassie on the forehead and slipped out of bed without waking her. The baby had kept her up fussing most of the night. Now mother and daughter were sound asleep.

As he started out the door, Cassie Jean asked him in a sleepy voice, "You wanna kiss me again before you leave?"

"I'm sorry, Cass, did I wake you up? I didn't mean to." Leroy had been surprised to learn he was concerned about her comfort. This was an altogether new feeling he felt inside him. He thought he liked it but...

"Oh, it's alright, Leroy, I like to get woken up way. But one on the' lips would be nicer." She told him in a shy voice, uncertain of what his response would be.

"Well, being as its you, I got another kiss I can give out." He hurried over to the bed and leaned over his young wife. He gave her a gentle kiss on the lips.

"Leroy, this is the first time you ever kissed me on the mouth. It was real nice. You think we can do it more often?" Her great longing showed as she looked up into his face.

"Cass, I been a big ass hole about a lot of things. It's changin' ... uh changing." He corrected himself almost automatically. "There are lots of things changing in our lives, Cass. I mean it. You see," he paused, and then with an effort, he continued, "You see, Cass, uh, well, I love you." With those words he almost ran from their apartment, embarrassed at this show of honest emotion.

"I love you too, Leroy." he heard her call to him as he went down the steps. He almost didn't catch it when she said, "More than Anything in this life."

He felt a happy twinge inside and a feeling of gladness well up inside him. It was like nothing he had never experienced before. By God it felt good. He grinned as he started the truck and headed off toward the Hot Spot Café.

He had a spare dime so he would spend it on an extra large breakfast of four stale cake doughnuts and an extra cup of lousy coffee. After last night before they went to sleep, Leroy still felt a little sleepier than usual. The extra coffee would at least kick him in the ass a little and wake him up more. Nothing could go wrong today. He just by God felt good.

Judge Mack sat on his usual stool at the counter, holding forth on whatever subject he was the resident expert that day. Leroy decided to try his vocabulary on the judge. Learning a word a day had given him a great sense of accomplishment. "My best and greatest felicitations to you, your honor, sir," Leroy greeted him.

"What is this? Am I being challenged to a verbal joust by a local denizen of our little metropolis?" the judge answered his greeting.

"Naw, Judge, I ain't, uh, am not in your league, nowhere near it. You're the champion word wrestler in these parts. But I just want you to know how I just might be a serious contender some day." Leroy grinned at the judge; proud of the way he managed to properly pronounce his hard won new words.

"Well, god damn. It looks like the shit is going to be piled up to the rafters, now. Two damn professors in one little town." The voice belonged to Hap Barnes, the baker at the Woodman Bakery.

There were other catcalls and good-natured heckling. Leroy sat down next to the judge and accepted his coffee and doughnuts. "You don't mind if I sit here do you, Judge?"

"Well I do believe it would be a welcome break to sit next to a fellow scholar of the English language. What has prompted your efforts toward self improvement, friend Leroy?"

Turning serious, Leroy answered, "I am tired of being me, Judge. I listen to other folks and found how I was just down right ignorant. I want to be smart. You understand, don't you Judge?" The honesty of his speech and the longing to be other than he was came through loud and clear. Judge Mack felt touched.

"Leroy Jones, you are going to make whatever it is you wish to make of yourself. All you have to do is decide. But I see a great change in you already. I am glad for you, my friend." Inwardly, Judge Mack was of the opinion when the new wore off, Leroy would revert. However, in the meantime he would encourage Leroy. After all, it didn't cost anything and Leroy was another vote come election time. Besides, there was something in Leroy intrigued the jurist. He sat and thought about the changes in Leroy Jones as he finished his breakfast.

Leroy gulped down the rest of his doughnuts and coffee and headed for the door. "See you," he called over his shoulder and he exited.

"Judge, what the hell ails Leroy Jones?" one of the other loungers asked. "Why in hell does he want to use all them fancy words? He think he's better than us?"

"No," the Judge Mack answered, "Leroy Jones has woken up to the fact there is more to life than a quart of whiskey and a doubtful pay envelope at the end of the week. Leroy looked in the mirror and was dissatisfied with whom and what he saw."

"Well, he's so mud fence plain and nothing is going to change him." The other opined.

"Maybe so, friend, maybe so. But miracles have happened and we just might see one there, wait and see. We'll just have to wait and see." The judge smiled to himself.

Leroy drove to the bridge site and found Milt waiting for him. "Give me the truck key, Leroy. You been fired."

Leroy felt his heart thud in his chest. He got a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach. "What's wrong, Milt? What have I done wrong?"

"You haven't done a damned thing wrong, Leroy, I have been fired too. The god damned bridge superintendent down in Tulsa just hired his oldest son to take my job and the younger one to take yours. We have just been jacked over royally." Milt looked at Leroy with great affection.

"Leroy, you have to be the strangest man ever to work for me. You are so downright homely, you got good looking in the process. I hate doing this to you. But the son of a buck has screwed us both royal."

Leroy handed Milt the ignition key. "Well hell. Milt, I got the old truck sounding like new. No kid is going to take care of it." All at once, Leroy lifted the engine cowling and reached in." The look on his face spelled trouble for someone.

"What are you doing there, Leroy?" Milt asked anxiously.

"I just switched the two middle spark plug wires."

"Jesus, Leroy. I saw the way kid drove his pa's car the other day, when he came out here to look around. He'll blow engine wide open, stomping on the gas like he does."

"See, Milt? I told you how you were a smart man. You just proved it." Leroy grinned at him.

"Here's your pay, Leroy. I was able to put in for and get you another ten extra dollars. It ain't much, but it is a little. Come on, let me get my personal things and I'll give you a ride into town."

They rode in silence for a while. "Leroy, I'm up against it. My old lady been sick and its taken all I make to pay for her treatments and medicine. If you hear of anything at all, let me know. I have to get work immediately. I don't know what to do. My young daughter needs shoes and just about everything else. I'm worried, Leroy, real worried."

"I promise you Milt, anything show up, I'll let you know." Then Leroy saw a strange car in the Duran yard as they started to drive by. He saw a stranger had hold of Ida Marie by the arm. He was dragging her toward the house.

"Stop, quick. Let me out. Somebody is hurting Ida Duran. Give me a wrench."

Milt slammed on the brakes and said, "There's a big old axe handle in the back seat, take it. I'll go get the police."

Leroy turned and grabbed the axe handle and was out the door. "Forget the police, find Harley Duran, he's the marshal." He ran around the house toward where the man had been dragged Ida.

As he came around the corner, he saw her struggle with the man. Leroy didn't say a word. Although he was skinny as a rail, he had a wiry build from years of hard labor. He brought the axe handle down on the man as he began to turn. The man fell in a heap.

"My baby." screamed Ida; "He has my baby in the house."

Leroy charged through the front door and ran face to face with a man pointing a pistol at him. He held little Ida by one arm. "Hold it right there, peckerwood. This is between us and the marshal. Drop your stick or I'll shoot you dead."

Leroy did not argue. He let the axe handle fall. Then little Ida twisted her body around and sank her teeth into the man's gun hand. He jerked and the gun went off. The shot missed everybody. Leroy stooped, grabbed the axe handle back up off the floor, took a step forward and smashed the man on the head with all his might. There was no doubt in Leroy's mind the intruder was dead.

Little Ida looked up at Leroy and asked, "Where's my daddy? He was supposed to come get us. How come you're here? My daddy is supposed to be the one who comes when we're in trouble."

"Honey, I don't know where your daddy is. But I sent a man to tell him to get home right away. You know you saved my life? He was going to shoot me. Let's get out of here." He took her hand and led her outside. Ida Marie stood by the back porch crying.

Little Ida rushed up and grabbed her mother, "Mamma, its all right. I bit the bad man and Leroy killed him dead almost as good as Daddy would do. I bit him hard. I bit him real hard." She was excited and proud of her role in the trouble just happened.

Mother and daughter stood holding each other. Leroy fidgeted and looked around. He didn't know what to do with himself. Then he went over to the man in the yard. Leroy looked down and saw his skull was crushed. There was no doubt the man was dead.

He returned and asked, "What was it all about? I ain't, uh, haven't had but a few fights since I come to town and all I did there was to leave knife marks on a man's face and kick another's ass and pound on my daddy in law. I, I just killed two men. How come?"

As the adrenaline slowly washed out of his blood stream, the enormity of what he had done sunk in. "I just kilt two men I never saw before in my life. Why?" He looked around him bewildered. "I don't want to kill anybody." His body felt heavy and clumsy.

Just then Harley drove up, hit the brakes and jumped out of the car. He ran to his wife and child. The Ford coasted five more feet before it stopped. Harley looked at the fallen man on the ground.

"What happened?" He drew his wife and child closer to give them what comfort he could. Before she could answer the question, he asked Ida Marie, "You all right?"

Ida nodded and clung to her husband. "Leroy just saved us. They said they were going to ... going to..." she choked and continued, "And they were going to do it to my baby, too."