Previous Challenge Entry (Level 4 – Masters)
Topic: JAM (02/09/17)
-
TITLE: The Choir Boys | Previous Challenge Entry
By LeslieJean Anderson
02/16/17 -
LEAVE COMMENT ON ARTICLE
SEND A PRIVATE COMMENT
ADD TO MY FAVORITES
As he walked away from the school bus, Danny glanced around to see who had called his name. Then he spotted his older brother motioning to him from an alley.
“Louis, what are you doing here? You’re supposed to be in rehab.”
“Hey bro - I’m in a jam. I owe some guys, and they’re following me. The folks won’t give me any more money, so you’re my only hope.”
“Man, you screwed up again. When are you gonna learn?”
“Just as soon as I pay these thugs off. Then I’ll be a choir boy like you.”
Danny grunted in disbelief. But he didn’t want to see his brother beaten up again.
“All right, Louis. I have some money from my summer job. But this is the last time I’m bailing you out. You gotta get clean and sober. Get a job. Work hard. Make the folks proud of you before they die.”
“Sure thing, Dan. Will do. You got my word.”
Later that night, Louis waited impatiently for his brother in a store parking lot. It was dark, but he could see the back of a nearby bank from the driver’s seat of his old car. He knew Danny would soon be at the ATM. His hands shook and he broke out in a cold sweat as he smoked and waited for his brother to deliver the money. He needed that cash bad.
He noticed some activity around the front of the bank, but then several long minutes went by. What’s taking the stupid kid so long, he muttered to himself.
Finally, Louis left his car and headed for the bank just as a police car screeched to a halt near the bank’s ATM. Louis could see the police bending over something on the ground - a body. He knew instantly who it was. He heard a siren in the distance. Louis panicked. He ducked into some shadows and disappeared down a dark alley.
The newspaper said that Danny Schmidt had been robbed leaving an ATM machine. He’d been shot at close range and died instantly. His parents were inconsolable. His mother had collapsed when the police came to the door, and his father ended up in the hospital with symptoms of a heart attack.
Police were at the funeral, looking for Louis. On the day of the shooting, some of Danny’s classmates remembered seeing Louis hanging around the school bus stop. His parents knew why. But Louis was long gone. He’d driven his old car as far as it would go, then hitchhiked the rest of the way to Canada.
Danny’s parents never fully recovered from the death of their son. Neither one worked full time after that. They slowly sank into poverty.
The shooters were tried and convicted, but that was of little comfort to the old couple. They lived broken lives of desperation, going out only to visit Danny’s grave and to shop for groceries with their food stamps. They never spoke of Louis.
One day a fat envelope arrived in the mail containing a thousand dollars in cash. There was no return address, but the postmark was Canadian. Three months after that another one arrived, and this continued every three months for several years.
There was no way to trace the money, and at first Danny’s parents kept it locked up, thinking it was a mistake or a trick. But then they needed some of it for doctors, medicine, and car repairs.
Eventually a note arrived with the cash. “The money you have been receiving is legitimate and clean – just like me. Louis.” This time there was a return address. It had been fifteen years since Danny’s death.
Danny’s parents took the note and the address to the public library where a librarian helped them do a Google search. She quickly found a web site, and turned the monitor so they could see.
"It's a business address," she said.
There was Louis’ smiling face and a heading that said, “Danny’s Dependable Trucking Co. – The #1 transport company in western Canada.”
And below the photo it said: “Louis Schmidt, company president. His well-trained drivers are the best in the business because they outwork the competition when they’re on the job, and live like choir boys when they’re off.”
The librarian turned to the stunned older couple. “Is this your son?”
They stared at her wide-eyed. Then they both nodded.
“Wow,” she said, smiling. “I’m impressed. Looks like a kid you can be proud of!”
This is a work of fiction. 750 words
The opinions expressed by authors may not necessarily reflect the opinion of FaithWriters.com.
Accept Jesus as Your Lord and Savior Right Now - CLICK HERE
JOIN US at FaithWriters for Free. Grow as a Writer and Spread the Gospel.
Blessings~