The last time Danny spoke with his father, it was through a telephone, sitting across from him, separated by glass.  Tears flowed down both their faces as Danny’s father repeated the same message that he gave his son each time they spoke since landing in prison.

“Danny, my son, I love you more than life itself.  Promise me that you won’t make the same mistakes I made.  Turn the other cheek and walk away son, don’t fight back.  You see where I ended up when my pride got the best of me.  Promise me Danny, walk away!”

Danny just nodded his head in agreement, filled with anguish at seeing the man that had always been bigger than life, broken and filled with regret.  His father had been sentenced to life in prison for the death of a man during a bar room fight.  His father had lost his temper and a fight ensued that ended with the death of another.  The brutality of the death is what resulted in the long prison sentence.  Not pleased with simply winning the fight, Danny’s father had continued to kick the young man in the head until his skull was fractured, causing a certain death.

That was the last time Danny saw his father.  The following day, his father had been killed by another prisoner during a riot.

Two years later, while Danny still thought of his father often, he had moved on with life.  He had met Mary Ann and after six months, had become engaged.  She had become his world and she loved him dearly.

Danny had just finished his shift down at the mill and decided to stop by Mary Ann’s home before heading to his own place.  Along the way, he stopped at a florist a few blocks from her house and would be waiting for her, on her front porch, when she returned home from working at the local bar called Sneaky Petes.

Sitting on the front steps and caught up in a day dream, he didn’t notice Mary Ann until she turned the corner of the sidewalk and started walking toward him.  She was holding her blouse together with both hands while tears flowed down her cheeks and had a swollen lower lip.  Danny jumped to his feet and rushed to his fiancé.  Her head lowered, she didn’t want to look into his eyes.  He placed his arms around her and without asking any questions, led her into the house.  Leading her to her bedroom, he sat her on the bed, then started running a hot bath.

As the bathtub filled, he lowered himself onto his knees in front of her.  Gently, he said “My love, tell me what happened so I may help”.  She finally looked into his eyes and began to sob uncontrollably as she reached out and hugged him tightly.  After several minutes, she explained what had happened.

“Toward the end of my shift, I was closing out tabs and approached the Kinkade boys.  All three of them had been there for hours drinking and were pretty intoxicated.  When I asked them to close out their tab, they started grabbing me.  One of them touched by behind and I slapped him.  Before long, all three of them had me pushed in the corner and one of them reached up and ripped open my blouse.  Danny, I tried to fight back, but they were too strong and Jerry, the oldest, back handed me across the face.  Luckily, Jeb came out from behind the bar with his shotgun and ended it.  Oh Danny, the things they said they were going to do to me was horrible and I really thought they were going to rape me.  Thank god Jeb was there.  He escorted me part way home.”

Not saying a word, Danny just let her cry.  He showed her compassion and understanding and gave her some privacy as she entered her bathroom and into the bath.  As she closed the door, he said ‘I’ll make you a nice dinner and you’ll feel better, my love.  Will be back in a few minutes, just need some potatoes from the store”.

Stepping out the front door of Mary Ann’s home, he began to walk toward town.  With a brisk stride, he walked past the corner store and several minutes later, found himself standing in front of Sneaky Pete’s.  Taking a deep breath, he stepped through the doorway and into the dimly lit, smoke filled bar.  In the corner sat all three Kinkade boys.  Walking toward them, Jeb stepped in the way and grabbed Danny’s arms.  Looking Danny directly in the eye, the voice was not Jeb’s, but the voice of his father as he said “Turn the other cheek and walk away Son”.  Danny, blinking in shock at hearing his father’s voice once again and his memory flashed back to their last conversation.

Blinking again to clear his mind, he reached up and gently removed Jeb’s hands from his upper arms, then stepped around and moved toward the Kinkade boys.  As Danny approached the table, the two younger ones stood up and said “Well, look who we have here.  Seems that the slut sent her yellow bellied dickless boyfriend to defend her honor.” Then all three began to laugh as Danny glared at them.  In the back of his mind, the voice played again “TURN THE OTHER CHEEK AND WALK AWAY SON”.  As the third and oldest Kinkade stood, Danny looked from one to the other, then with a deep sigh, turned and walked toward the door.

The Kinkades began to jeer and question his manhood as he made what they believed to be the walk of shame for a coward.  Silence fell over the bar as Danny stopped at the door, then reached up and locked the deadbolt closed.  As Danny turned, years of holding back from being bullied provided the fire in his eyes.  Then as he stalked back across the floor toward the Kinkade boys, his thoughts drifted to Mary Ann and the rage was unleashed.

Jeb simply sat back and watched in amazement as Danny unleashed his fury on the three drunken men.  As the last one fell, Danny, still filled with unspent rage, reached down and grabbed a broken chair leg and hefted it like a club.  Turning, his obvious target was the older Kinkade boy that lay unconscious on the ground.  As he began to stalk forward, a hand grabbed his arm once again.  Whipping his head toward the threat with danger in his eyes and blood running down from a laceration above his eyebrow, Danny glared at Jeb.  Jeb simply shook his head and said “Son, you’ve settled the debt.  Your father was a good man and I know he would want you to stop now.”

Caught off guard by the words, Danny snapped back to reality and after a few seconds, dropped the chair leg to the floor.  Nodding his head in agreement, he turned toward the door and stopped. “What do I owe you for damages Jeb?” came a reluctant voice.

“Son, you owe me nothing.  Go home and take care of Mary Ann.  Tell her she has a week off with pay.  And I was needing some new furniture anyways.  The Kinkade boys won’t be welcome in Sneaky Pete’s again, so you two have no more worries.”

Without another word, Danny unlocked the door and stepped out into the evening air.  Looking up to the stars, Danny muttered “Pa, sometimes you have to fight back to be a man!”  With that, Danny began his trek back to Mary Ann’s home and the love of his life.