The Reluctant Enforcer

Shadows stretched across the entrance to the alleyway as the sun set to the west.  The day had been warm in Detroit, but he felt a chill run down his spine as the uncertainty of the future was forced upon him.  He stared at the wad of cash that had been placed in his hand then glanced up toward the direction he had watched his mother exit the alley way.  He half expected her to walk back around the corner and tell him she had been mistaken, but deep down, he knew that was the last time he would ever see her.

Jack Thompson, better known as “Jackie”, was only sixteen years of age and a very large man, yet with the immature mind of a teenager.  Having dropped out of school at the age of thirteen, Jackie never had a problem finding a manual labor job due to his natural size.  While his mom had begged him to return to school, he had followed in his father’s footsteps, and dropped out of school as soon as he became a teenager.  Three years of heavy lifting and working long shifts had honed his muscles, yet the adolescent mind still kept him young at heart.

Every Friday, Jackie would come home and hand his check to his mother before heading to his favorite vantage point out on the front of the house.  Jackie had no need for money as he had everything he could ever want at this simple home.  A bed to sleep upon, plenty of food, doting mother, and front steps that he sat on nightly while watching the life of the neighborhood come and go.  But all that changed less than twenty four hours earlier.  

Jackie arrived home after a long shift at the warehouse and walked into the kitchen.  Greeting his mother as he normally would, he was taken aback when she turned, tears flowing down her face and her left eye was surrounded by signs of swelling.

Immediately concerned, Jackie asked “Mom, what happened?  Are you ok?”

Taking a deep breath and wiping the tears from her eyes, she replied “Yes Jackie, I’m fine.  I just slipped and fell.  It was my mistake.  Don’t you worry, everything is f………”

Before she could finish, his father’s voice cut her off abruptly “Mag’s, don’t you lie to him.  Tell him the truth.  Or you’ll have more *hiccup* coming your way”.  Jackie turned to see his father standing in the doorway, leaning against the door jam.  His father’s eyes were bloodshot, signs of a long day of drinking.  In his right hand, he held a nearly finished bottle of liquor.  Jackie had seen him father in this condition numerous times and it usually meant he was going to get a beating.  But he had never seen his mother on the receiving end.

As he turned back to his mother, the voice boomed from behind Jackie, filled with contempt, “Momma’s Boy Jackie, time for you to get to your room and I don’t want to see you again tonight.”  Jackie stared at his mother and as she looked back, she nodded her head as she gave him a look to say “It’s ok, go ahead, I’ll be ok.”

Jackie had been on the receiving end of so many beatings over the years.  While he had received his size from his father’s lineage, Jackie had surpassed him in height and general size during the last year.  Yet, Jackie still trembled inside, filled with terror, for the beating he may receive later this evening.  Turning and looking toward the ground, avoiding his father’s gaze, he walked away from his mother and toward the hallway that lead to his room.

As he entered the hallway, he heard his father aggressively ask his mother “Mag’s, where is my dinner.  You’ve had all god damn day to have dinner ready and you haven’t done shit.  Where is it?  I want my dinner right fucking NOW!”  The demand was followed by the sound of a glass bottle shattering against the kitchen wall which made Jackie jump.

“Please John, please don’t do this.  It will be ready in just a few minutes” pleaded Jackie’s mother as she quickly stirred the mixture in a frying pan on the stove.

“Now, see what you made me do?  You push my buttons and make me do things that I shouldn’t.  It’s YOUR fault.  God damn it Mag’s, don’t you ignore me!” screamed his father.

In an instant, all traces of terror disappeared from Jackie’s mind to be replaced pure anger.  He had always been a gentle soul, but it felt like something had finally snapped and his body was filled with pure adrenaline.

Jackie’s father approached his mother from behind and reached out and grabbed her upper left arm, spinning her around to face him,  Then his father pulled back his right arm and with an open hand, was about to hit his mother across the face, once again.  But before his father could strike, a strong hand had grabbed his father’s wrist, holding it firmly.

In shock, Jackie’s father whipped around to stare directly into Jackie’s anger filled eyes.  Jackie’s father stared for several seconds in disbelief at his son and then a smile crossed his face and he said “Ok boy, you think you’re a man now.  Well, I’m going to show you differently”.

His father jerked his arm away from his son and pulling back, launching a hard closed fist strike directly at Jackie’s face.  Jackie’s reflexively stepped back, causing the vicious blow to avoid direct contact, glancing off the side of his face.  While glancing, Jackie still shook his head and glared back at his father, but made no attempt to return the strike.  Jackie could see his father becoming infuriated that his son hadn’t simply dropped or ran away from the aggressive blow.  As Jackie’s father pulled back his right arm for another strike, his mother screamed “Stop” and grabbed her husband’s shirt.  Instantly, his father’s ire was turned onto his wife and with a loud thud, he had backhanded his wife, knocking her to the kitchen floor.

The only words that came from Jackie that night, escaped his lips almost as a whisper “Never again”.  Before his father could attempt another blow on either he or his mother, Jackie kicked straight out, catching his father directly in the stomach, causing an explosion of air from his mouth and causing him to double over.  Before his father could react, Jackie grabbed the back of his father’s head, holding it in position and violently brought up his right knee as hard as he could.  A loud crunch could be heard as the knee shattered his father’s nose and possible other bones within his face.  His father fell backwards, landing on his back side, sitting harshly against the kitchen stove.  His father’s eyes were rolled back in his head and blood was beginning to gush from his nose, but Jackie wasn’t finished.  Reaching out, Jackie wrapped a meaty grip around his father’s throat and then with his other hand, grabbed the hot frying pan from the stove.  Holding his father’s head prone, Jackie set the bottom of the hot pan on his father’s forehead, hearing a satisfying sizzle as the superheated metal seared the flesh.  The pain quickly brought back is father’s awareness and he jerked away and to the side while screaming in agony.

Jackie heard a groan come from his mother and the anger seemed to pull back.  He turned to see her attempting to sit up and setting the pan back on the stove, rushed to hear side.  He helped her to her feet, holding onto her as her unsteady legs began to find their stability.  As the fog lifted from her mind, she glanced over to see her spouse, face covered in blood, lying in a fetal position, holding both is nose and forehead at the same time.  Looking up to Jackie, she said “Oh son, what have you done?  You need to go.  Nothing good can come of this.  Please, I’ll find you tomorrow, near the alleyway behind the grocery store.  But you must go…..NOW!”

Hearing his mother’s words, all anger quickly dissipated form his system and was quickly replaced by the terror from earlier in the evening.  He grabbed his coat and ran out the back door.  With adrenaline still in his system, he ran for a considerable distance before finally coming to rest at a park near downtown Detroit.  Near sunset at this time, the park was empty except for a single couple that walked the path, apparently heading home after a dinner together.  Jackie stopped and took a seat on a bench while his chest heaved from the heavy exertion.  His mind flashed back to the evening and what had transpired.

But as he recollected on the events, the terror was pushed away, but was not replaced with anger.  This time, it was replaced with resolve and the same words came from his lips “Never Again”.  As the light of the day disappeared, Jackie rolled up his coat, forming a make shift pillow, and placed it on the end of the bench before lying down and allowing his mind to drift away as he fell asleep.

The next morning, he awoke feeling chilled to the bone as the temperature had dropped significantly during the night.  Sitting up, he shook out his coat and pulled it over his shoulders and snuggly around his body, welcoming the added layer of clothing and the potential warmth it offered.  Standing up, he looked at his watch and realized he was already going to be late for work.  It would probably cost him his job, but after last night, he just didn’t care.

Walking back toward his neighborhood, he stopped by his favorite deli where Mr. Santo was hurriedly preparing fresh meats and cheese for the display and the upcoming lunch crowd.  Jackie had frequented this business for many years and had done a lot of side jobs, both for bartered food and to simply help out the kind shop owner.  Jackie fished in his pocket and found enough change to buy a small sandwich and a glass of water.  After Mr. Santo took his order, he stare quizzically at the young man before asking “Jackie, my boy, you have a haunted look in your eyes today.  Are you ok?”  Jackie shrugged his shoulders and replied “Yeah, I’ll be fine.  Just problems at…with my dad”.  Mr. Santo nodded in acknowledgement and said “Come, sit and relax in my office.  I’ll make you something special.  Your money is no good today.  Go sit and relax and I’ll have you something in a minute!”  Jackie was feeling very self-conscious about the gracious offer by the shop owner, but he really was hungry after missing dinner and breakfast.

After a few minutes, he heard an out of breath man’s voice asking the store owner “Hey Pops, you seen John’s son, Jackie around here?  Big lad?  Seems he sucker punched his dad last night and we are trying to track him down to make sure he doesn’t cause any more problems.  Has he been here?”  After a few seconds of silence, Mr. Santo responded “No, can’t say I have.  I know Jackie and he’s a good boy.  I doubt he sucker punched anyone.”  The other man retorted “Damn sure did and that little prick is going to get what’s coming to him by John.  If you see him, tell him that his mother is really worried about him and he should go home immediately, but DON’T say anything about John….That’s a surprise!”  Seconds later, Jackie heard the bell on the front door ring as the man left the business.

Heart filled with dread, he leaned forward in the chair and allowed his head to rest in the palm of his hands.  Things were out of control and he had no idea what to do. But he would never allow his father to attack his mother or him again without resistance.

After a few minutes, the door to the office opened and Mr. Santo walked in with a large plate that included a thick sandwich on fresh bread, sliced pickle, and some fresh fruit along with a large glass of sweet tea.  Mr. Santo set the food down in front of Jackie and smiled before saying “You hear that man out there?”  When Jackie nodded in agreement, Mr. Santo continued “Nothing good is going to come of you going home right now.  You’re more than welcome to stay here where you’re safe.  You have a challenging road ahead of you, Jackie boy.  But you have always been a good boy and I believe you truly are a good boy that is dealing with a bad situation.  If I can help, simply ask.”  With the supportive comments, Mr. Santo turned and walked from the office, closing the door behind him.

With a deep breath, Jackie picked up the sandwich and as he took a large bite, a tear flowed down his cheek.  It wasn’t a tear of remorse or out of fear.  But it was acknowledgement of the loss of his sanctuary, his home, and the simple foundation of his life.  He knew with resolve that he would never be able to return home.  He knew that he would never sit on the front porch of the home he had grown up in and watch the sun set.  He had no idea how to move ahead or where to even go.  He had never considered life away from his family home or any concept of how to deal with finances as he simply gave his check to his mother each Friday.  Looking down at his massive hands, he knew he wasn’t a child anymore.  But he felt lost and a little hopeless.

When finished with his meal, he thanked Mr. Santo that included a heartfelt hug, before heading out into the mid-day sun.  Jackie knew that others were probably out looking for him, so he quickly made his way to the alley behind the grocery store that his mother had mentioned.  Finding a safe spot out of sight along the side of a dumpster, he slid down the wall and sat on the ground, getting as comfortable as he could.  He felt on edge, heart racing every time he heard a noise at the entrance to the alley.  He almost sprinted away when one of the grocery clerks came to empty the trash in the dumpster he was using to remain hidden, but remained unseen.

Just as Jackie was about to lose faith that his mother would find him, he heard a voice call out “Psst….Jackie?  You here son?”  Standing cautiously, he glanced over the dumpster to see his mother in the entrance, looking in his direction.  Seeing that she was alone, he stepped from his hiding spot and she showed obvious relief as she ran and hugged him deeply.

After a long, loving embrace, his mother stepped back, placing distance between them and said “Jackie, I’m just going to tell you this straight up.  First, I love you with everything I have.  And I can’t tell you how much I appreciate how you defended me….”  She began to sob and as Jackie reached out to comfort her, she stepped back, took a deep breath, and steeled herself.  Continuing, she said “Jackie, you need to leave this place.  Not just this neighborhood, but this city.  Your father is out of control and he has a group of his buddies all looking for you.  Nothing good can come from it, but he’s drinking heavily and…it isn’t safe for you.”  Reaching into her purse, she pulled a wad of cash out and placed it in his hand before using both of hers to close his fingers around the small fortune.  She said “Here, this is yours.  I’ve been keeping a large portion of your paychecks away from your father.  It’s yours”.

Before Jackie could object in protest, she said “I have family in Seattle.  I have sent them a letter letting them know you would need a place to stay.  They have never met John and I doubt he knows they even exist.  They will give you a room and help you get your feet on the ground. Their address is on a piece of paper with the money.  We both need a fresh start, but I need you to leave town immediately.  I’ll follow soon.  Jackie, I love you.”  And with that, she quickly hugged him and reached up to place a kiss on his cheek before turning and quickly leaving the alleyway.

As the last light of the day began to disappear, Jackie slowly walked in the direction of the train station.  He had never been outside of Detroit and all at once realized he had no idea where Seattle even was within the United States.  But he had an address and would simply ask for help along the way.  With reluctance, he embraced his new life with resolve.

The day was overcast, but dry and there was a salty cool breeze blowing into the shipyard off the Pacific Ocean that brushed over Jackie’s face as he sat quietly at a picnic bench by himself during lunch break.  As promised by his mother, the extended family on her side had taken him in, asking very few questions.  They had provided him a cot in the upper attic, made sure he had two changes of clothes along with personal hygiene products, and after a few inquiries, he had a labor job at the shipyard that paid good money.

Jackie had kept to himself since arriving in Seattle.  Confidence shaken from being driven from his home and living in a distant land while filled with concern for his mother, he kept his eyes to the ground and avoided conversations as much as he could.  He was never rude and always answered with “Yes Sir” or “No Sir”, thinking his mom would be proud of how respectful he had become.  Since being at the shipyard for the last two months, while keeping to himself, he also watched. 

First was a tight knit group of workers that seemed to always be together.  They arrived as a group in the morning, sat together at lunch, and seemed to leave work walking in a pack, always headed in the same direction, toward the City Center.  The first week on the job, the apparent leader, a guy that called himself “Dice”, introduced himself and the fact that he was part of the local family.  Feeling the need to respond, Jackie explained that he was also here, living with family.  Dice just laughed and said “That’s cute kid” before walking back to the group, saying something, and seeing the whole group laugh and look at him from across the lunch area.  He had never spoken with him again, but Dice seemed to be always watching Jackie, which made him nervous.

The other group was much smaller, made up of just three individuals.  And they were bullies.  Ronnie was the leader of the group, followed by Danny and Steve.  Jackie had watched their actions and had purposely avoided them as they seemed to “mess” with certain victims on a daily basis.  Sometimes it would be playing keep away with someone’s hat or lunch, another time it would be as brazen as coming up and simply grabbing some of the lunch and eating it to see if they could get a reaction.  Other times, they would pretend to be messing around between the three of them and “accidently” slam into someone or hit them with something which was always followed with an unconvincing “Sorry”.  Jackie had witness one event where an older man had stood up to them, only to have the three of them jump him, beating him to the ground with fists and then kicks.

Jackie sat, thinking of his mom.  She had said she would follow but it had been two months and no word from her.  He wanted to write a letter to let her know he was ok, but having dropped out of school so early, writing was a resource that he didn’t have.  He could read on a limited basis, but putting a letter together that expressed his thoughts was just too daunting of a task.  As his mind wandered to thoughts of his mom, Jackie was startled when something heavy and wet hit him hard in the back of the head. Reflexively reaching up with one hand and whipping around to see what was behind him, he slowly pulled a mass of newspaper that had been soaked in some type of liquid from the back of his neck.  The culprit was obvious as Ronnie stood 20 feet away, with a large smile on his face as he said “Opps, guess I missed my friend there and hit you accidently.  Hope that piss smell doesn’t bother you.”  Steve, which was standing close to Jackie and patted him on the back before laughing loudly and running back to stand by Ronnie and Danny.

Jackie could smell the pungent urine soaked into the paper and had no doubt it wasn’t an accident.  As the anger rushed into his system, he took a deep breath and pushed it down and away, calming himself and thought of his mom.  Throwing the wet paper on the ground, Jackie turned back to his lunch, ignoring the wetness on his neck and the instigators standing behind him.  With the smell surrounding him, he lost interest in his lunch and stuffed the remaining portion of his sandwich back into his lunch sack.  Deciding he should go and clean up, Jackie stood from the table and turned to face the threesome standing directly behind where he was sitting.  Ronnie was normally one of the larger men in the shipyard, but that was until Jackie had arrived.  Jackie had at least three inches height and over thirty pounds of muscle.  Both Steve and Danny were shorter in stature with Steve being thin and frail looking and Danny sporting a rather large belly that his shirt strained to cover.

Ronnie stepped forward, directly in front of Jackie, with a grin on his face, and said “You seem a little yellow Jackie boy.  I’ve always heard the bigger they are, the harder they fall.  Bet you fall real hard Jackie boy.”

Jackie didn’t want any trouble.  He looked downward, feeling his body filled with terror similar to how he felt when his father was about to deliver a beating, avoiding eye contact with Ronnie, in hopes of avoid any type of confrontation before responding “Ronnie, I don’t want any trouble.  You said it was an accident and I’ll take your word.  I’m just going to go clean up and get back to work”. 

Jackie attempted to step between Ronnie and Danny, only to have them move toward each other, blocking his escape route.  “Oh no, you’re not getting off that easy Yella.  Yep, that’s your new name here at work.  Yella.  Boy’s, what do you think of Jackie’s new nick name?” said the leader of the pack.  Both Steve and Danny jumped in, repeating the name “Yella” over and over in different context, but each inferring the derogatory intention.

Jackie felt the anger flood his system, pushing away any of the terror that had threated to overcome him.  As Jackie slowly raised his head and looked Ronnie directly in the eyes, there was a resolve and intensity that seemed to surprise and rattle the bully’s confidence.  Jackie just glared at the smaller man and noticed him swallow as he tried to regain his arrogance.  Finally, Ronnie gave allowed a smile to cross his face and said “Yella, I think I may let you off the hook today.”  Ronnie began to turn away, then without any indication, swung a roundhouse fist that firmly connected on Jackie’s jaw.

Jackie’s head snapped back and there was a brief blackness followed by bright bursts of light as he fell backward onto the bench.  Before he could recover, the three men pulled him off the bench and began punching and kicking him violently, first aiming for his head, then for tender areas around his stomach and kidneys.

Jackie had been able to instinctively cover up his head after the first couple of blows and while the painful strikes continued, there were not doing serious damage.  Blinking his eyes, the darkness disappears along with the flashing lights.  Jackie felt adrenaline surge through his system and he kicked out hard, catching one of the attackers directly above the knee, knocking his feet out from under him.  As soon as he felt the man hit the ground, he rolled in that direction, trying to get a little distance from the other attackers.  Rolling multiple time, he rotated so on his last roll, he would put his legs between his prone body and the attackers.  Pulling up his legs quickly, he kicked out at waist height, catching an attacker unprepared and launching him backwards, slamming him into the first attack that was just recovering.  The third attacker jumped down on Jackie in hopes of holding him down until the other two could recover, but Jackie was too strong.  Ignoring the blows being delivered, Jackie grabbed the man by the arms and rolled to his side, throwing the individual to the side.

Jackie jumped to his feet, feeling a throbbing pain in his jaw, the coppery taste of blood in his mouth, and the warmth of blood running down his cheek from a cut that had been caused by one of the many blows to his face.  The three men circled Jackie, with neither side saying a word.  In a planned attack, the one directly in front of Jackie feinted an advance, causing Jackie to react defensively in that direction.  The other two attackers immediately followed his reaction, lunging in to throw blows at Jackie.  One caught him on the side of the face and the other landed a hard kidney punch before both pulled back and continued to circle.  Jackie was no match for this tactic against three grown men and needed to even the odds somehow.

As the three men continued to circle, Jackie waited for the one in front of him to feint an advance again.  Ronnie was directly in front of him with Steve and Danny on either side.  Jackie consciously decided that Steve, the smallest of the group, would be the first to go down.  When Ronnie feinted an attack, rather than react to Ronnie, Jackie immediately spun and reached out for Steve’s shirt collar.  Steve had stepped in to deliver a blow to the stomach, arms hung low, and was unprepared for the quick maneuver by Jackie.  Before he could react, Jackie was spinning, pulling Steve off his feet.  Jackie continued to spin, picking up more rotational speed before throwing Steve up against a concrete wall in the lunch area.  With a sickening crunch, Steve hit the wall with tremendous force, slumping to the ground, crying out in pain.

Jackie stumbled awkwardly from the spinning move, but didn’t lose his footing.  Now he was down to two attackers.  No longer able to surround him, Ronnie and Danny stood close to each other directly in front of the much larger man.  Ronnie said “You’re gonna pay severely for that, Yella”.

Jackie just stood his ground and waited.  The two attackers began to move forward with Ronnie taking the obvious lead.  Danny had lost his confidence at seeing his friend so easily manhandled, but feared Ronnie still more than what Jackie could do.  Jackie knew that Ronnie’s defeat was all that was needed to end this incident.  Jackie took a deep breath, letting it slowly exhale while he said “Never again”.  Jackie walked directly at Ronnie, much to Ronnie’s shock.  Ronnie began to take steps backward, caught off guard by the quickly advancing big man.  When Jackie came within a few feet, Ronnie began to throw overhand punches, hoping to land one on Jackie.  But Jackie advanced and grabbed Ronnie by the shirt collar.  But instead of spinning, Jackie pulled him forward and to the side while launching a knee upward and violently into Ronnie’s midsection.  Jackie could hear the explosion of air come from Ronnie’s mouth as it was forced from his lungs.  Jackie released his collar where Ronnie remained standing, but was doubled over.  Jackie grabbed Ronnie by the hair, pushing his head down as he stepped forward, then leaned over his back, reached around his mid section, and secured his hands on Ronnie’s stomach.  With one powerful motion, Jackie lifted Ronnie in a rotating fashion with his feet coming off the ground and then as he continued to lift, Ronnie’s body ended up in a near vertical position with his head toward the ground and his feet in the air.

Jackie held him in this position for just a second before dropping to his knees and driving Ronnie, head first, into the dirt covered floor of the lunch room.  Nauseating sounds issued from Ronnie’s body as the body fell to the ground.  Ronnie, or what was left of him, began to twitch uncontrollably as it came to rest on the floor.  Distracted for only a second, Jackie stood to face Danny, which had made no attempt to attack when Jackie had advanced.  When Jackie’s eyes fixed on him, Danny began to sob and plead for his life.  Jackie said “Never Again” and pointed toward the door.  Danny didn’t wait for any more guidance and ran in a sprint for the door and out of the lunch area.

As the anger began to quickly dissipate, Jackie was beginning to realize just what he had done.  He was sure that he had killed Ronnie and Steve, based on the cries of pain was seriously injured.  But he had blown it once again.  Knowing that law enforcement would be there soon to arrest him, he simply walked over and sat on the bench, lowering his head into his hands, and waited.

Minutes later, Jackie heard sirens approaching and had no doubt where they were headed.  He remained in the same seated position as two officers rushed into the room, guns pulled, unsure what to expect.  After a discussion with one of the Shipyard supervisors, the officers approached Jackie and told him to put his hands behind his back.  Jackie did as directly in a slow unthreatening motion.  One officer cuffed him while the other held him at gun point.  Once cuffed, one of the officers said “Jesus Christ son, you really did a number of these two.”  Jackie just shrugged and stood as he was directed before being lead to a waiting police cruiser.  As he walked out of the ship yard, two stretchers were being rolled into the lunch area.

After violently being thrown in a holding cell, Jackie waited and waited.  After several hours, a red faced officer unlocks your cell and says "Listen asshole, I don't know what kind of arrangement you have with Officer Perkins, but I have been informed to apologize and let you walk. Fuck their apology and fuck you. Get the fuck out of here."

Jackie had no idea what was going on, but wasn’t going to wait around to find out.  As he walked through the police station, he saw many different officers glaring in his direction, but still didn’t understand what had happened.  As he pushed open the station door, and out into the dark of the evening, he saw a black sedan parked out front with three men standing to the side, watching him.  Each was dressed in a dark colored trench coat and wore a wide brim hat that cast a shadow preventing the light from the street lamp from revealing their identity.  As Jackie made his way down the steps, one of the men walked forward and approached him.

“Jackie, we need to talk” came a familiar voice.  The voice continued “You know me as Dice from the ship yard, but I’m also part of the largest crime family in the Seattle area.  I’ve been watching you.”  The dark figure stopped ten feet from Jackie and remained silent, giving Jackie a chance to think.

Finally, Jackie cleared his throat and said “Ok.  What do you want?”

“Good Jackie, you found your voice.  As I said, I’ve been watching you.  And now, I’m showing you what the family can do for you.  This whole event has been simple swept under the carpet.  You’re free to walk.  No charges are being filed and as a matter of fact, there isn’t even a record on file that this event ever happened.  Isn’t that a nice gesture of good will by the family?” said the dark figure.

After a few seconds of silence to let that sink in, he continued “Now is the time where you decide what you can do for the family.  The family takes care of their own, but they expect their own to take care of the family.  This will be your only opportunity to join us Jackie.  I would seriously consider it.  I believe that you can do a lot to take care of the family.  While you’re a gentle giant, you also have a mean streak.  I like that.”

Jackie felt his mouth go dry and swallowed, trying to generate any moisture.  Finally he said “I didn’t want to hurt anyone.  I don’t ever want to hurt anyone.  But they attacked me.” 

The dark stranger said in a fatherly voice “Yes son, I was there and saw the whole thing.  You handled yourself well, trying to avoid conflict, but when it became unavoidable, you acted quickly and decisively to end it.  That makes you perfect for our needs.”

Jackie asked “Your needs?  You mean the family’s needs?”

“Very good Jackie, very good!” said the dark figure, “You already have it figured out.  The family has need of you and in turn, the family will take care of you.  So, I’m going to get back in my car and leave the rear passenger door open.  If you want to be part of the family and return to work tomorrow as if this event never happened, get in the car with us.  But you can walk and that is your choice.  Walk away and the family will never ask again.  But I wouldn’t recommend returning to the shipyards tomorrow as Ronnie did have some friends that are not going to be happy that you’re out on the streets.  Choice is really yours.”

With that, Dice turned and walked back to the driver’s side of the car.  The three men entered, leaving the rear passenger door open.  Jackie stood and stared at the dark space inside the vehicle and thought of his options.  He desperately missed being part of a family and missed him mom.  His extended family had been gracious, but it wasn’t the same.  And they needed him too.  Like his mom needed him to protect her, the family needed him to protect them.  He wasn’t sure what that entailed, but with resolve, he was determined to find out.

He quickly walked to the open car door before stepping inside and closing the door behind him.  Dice said from the front seat “Good decision Jackie” before he released the hammer on his cocked revolver and put the car in drive, headed toward the Family Estate.

Heavy fog filled the streets of Seattle as Jackie stood in front of a family owned laundry mat.  His first assignment as part of the family was to remind Mrs. Davis that she was behind on her payments.  From what had been explained to Jackie, Mr. Davis, before an unfortunate accident had acquired a significant gambling debt to the family.  While Mr. Davis had passed on after being hit by a car while crossing the street (the driver was never found), the debt was still the responsibility of the family.

Jackie was eager to help the family and felt this would be an easy first assignment.  Wearing a suit that the family had provided him, he felt very self conscious, but was told that he must “dress to impress” while on family business.  Opening the front door, he stepped inside as a small bell rattled, announcing his arrival.  A male voice said “Just a minute” as Jackie closed the door behind him.  Stepping up to the counter, he could hear considerable activity coming from the back room, obvious signs that the business was up and running early this morning.

After a short time, a younger man, a few years older that Jackie, walked out, drying his hands with a towel before saying “How can I help you?”

Jackie, having not really thought about what he would say, simply asked, “Is Mrs. Davis here?”

The young man’s facial expression turned from a smile to a sneer in an instant before he said “Why?”

“Sir, I’m not here for trouble, but I need to talk with Mrs. Davis.  Is she here?” stated Jackie in a calm, monotone voice.

The young man, looked up at Jackie, which was at least six inches taller, and was silent for several seconds before yelling toward the back, “Ma, you have a visitor.”

Some of the sounds from the back room ceased and Jackie could hear footsteps as an older woman with gray streaks in her blonde hair stepped through the doorway.  “Yes, how may I help you?”

Jackie looked back and forth from the young man to the woman and hadn’t thought he would be talking to more than one person.  Unsure, he asked “Mrs. Davis, may be talk in private?”

Showing signs of irritation, she put her hands on her hips and said “There is nothing to be said that can’t be said in front of my son.  Now I have work to do, what do you want?”

Jackie was surprised by the anger in her voice, he once again glanced back and forth before focusing on the older woman.  “I’ve been sent by the Family to remind you that you’re behind on you’re payments.”  Swallowing and feeling nervous, he continued with less certainty in his voice “I’m here to collect your late payment”.

The room was filled with only the sound of continued work from the back room as the older woman considered what Jackie had just said.  Jackie watched as numerous emotions seemed to cross the older woman face.  The irritation disappeared, replaced by sadness, then her eyes seemed to widen as recollection came to her mind, then her eyes narrowed as rage them.  Through tightly pursed lips, she said “Listen here kid, first you take advantage of my husband, then you have him killed.  Yes, I know it was you that ran him down in the streets.  Now you show up here, expecting me to give you money after what YOU’VE done!  How dare you!  Get out of my shop and never return!”

Jackie was shocked at the accusation, knowing he had done none of those things, other than ask nicely for her to make her payment.  Responding “Ma’am, I have done none of those things you spoke of, other than ask for you to make a payment.”

She took a step forward and screamed at Jackie “GET OUT!”.  The younger man stepped around the counter, in front of Jackie, wringing his nervous hands on the towel he had used earlier to dry them.

Jackie just stared at the woman and waited.  He was unsure what to do now as this was not the reaction he had expected.  He couldn’t understand why she had reacted that way and why she thought he had done all these things.

When he didn’t move, the younger man lost patience and unexpectedly shoved Jackie back toward the entrance.  With the unexpected aggressive physical contact, Jackie instantly was filled with rage.  He had been very polite and first was verbally accused of things he had never done while simply trying to help the Family, now this smaller man had forcibly shoved him.  Jackie looked down at the smaller man, swallowing hard and said “Never Again”.

Brazen from his first action, the younger man smiled and stepped forward and extended his arms to shove Jackie once again.  But this time, Jackie reached out and grabbed both of his wrists in his meaty hands and pulled the man in close.  With his hands tied up, Jackie reacted instinctively and slammed his forehead into the face of the smaller man.  The impact was much harder than Jackie had expected and a large gash formed along the eyebrow of the man’s left eye.  The smaller man’s legs gave out and Jackie released his wrists as he dropped to the floor.

The woman screamed “David” before looking at the Jackie with a whole different expression.  The anger had disappeared from her eyes and now she had a look that resembled terror.  Shaking, she walked to the cash register and punching a button, the drawer slid open with a clang.  She reached inside and appeared to grab all the cash, slamming it on the counter.  “This is everything I have.  Take it.  Get out of my shop.”

Jackie stepped forward and picked up the money.  His mom had taught him how to count, so he proceeded to count out the money in front of the stricken woman, much to her surprise.  When he had counted out $47, he set the rest of the money back on the counter.  Looking up at the woman, he said “I was told the payment was $45 with $2 late fee.  Please make sure you pay your bill to the Family on time to avoid late fees.”  

Jackie placed the money in his pocket and turned toward the door.  Looking down, the smaller man was holding the blood soaked towel to his forehead, trying to slow down the blood flow and made no attempt to look Jackie in the eye.  

Walking to the door, Jackie stepped through and was surprised to see Dice standing outside, looking in through the front glass window.  As Jackie shut the door, Dice smiled and said “Figured I was check on you during your first assignment.  Nice work kid.  Come on, I’ll give you a ride back to the Family estate.”