And Along Came Jake (7 page)

"Now what?" Smitty sighed as Jake walked back into the store.

Mr. Sutton stood in the doorway, arms folded, as he watched Jake grab a soda, fill up a sack of peanuts, and walk to the counter to pay for his lunch.

"Okay kid, now get out of here!" Smitty said, beginning to lighten up. "I'll see you tomorrow. There's lots of work to be done in the back of this store."

Jake didn't respond, only hung his head, waving to Smitty. Then, as the two walked outside, Big Paul smiled and gave him a playful nudge. "I'm real proud of you, Jake!" He said. "I'll see you tomorrow, after you're done at Smitty's!"

Big Paul turned and walked away, towards his new shop, at the end of the strip, as Jake stood there in disbelief; replaying Big Paul's words: "I'm real proud of you."

He quickly snapped back to reality as someone startled him, pretending to hit him in the face, causing him to blink. Then, he recognized the voice.

"Th-th-that's t-two for f-f-flinching, Jake!" Edwin stuttered, as he gave him two sharp blows to his shoulder. "Wha-wha-whatcha doin' Jake?"

"Oh, nothin'" He replied. "Just getting' myself a job with Big Paul, that's all!"

"W-W-Who's B-Big Paul?" Edwin asked.

"Nobody, just the biggest, strongest man in Blackwater. He just opened up a new furniture repair store in the vacant lot where we play dice."

"Oh w-w-wow Jake. F-funny thing, because I j-j-just got a j-job working with M-Mr. Cobb in his h-hardware store."

"That's great, Edwin!" Jake smiled "How much is he payin' ya?"

"D-D-Don't know yet, b-but it doesn't m-m-matter, because I'm gonna b-be rich s-s-someday!" Edwin replied.

"Keep dreamin' Edwin. Guys like us will never be rich. So you wanna go and play stick ball for a while?"

"S-S-Sorry Jake." Little Edwin looked up at the sky, and noticed the sun starting to go down. "B-B-But I gotta g-g-get back h-h-home, and let Pa know about m-my new j-j-job."

"Okay, I guess I'll get back home too." He said, slapping his friend on the back.

"Wait…home? W-W-Where you livin' J-Jake?" Edwin asked.

"Jake moved close to his friend, looked around and whispered. "What I'm about to tell you is classified information. Whatever you do, don't breathe a word of this to anyone alright?"

"O-O-Okay" Little Edwin nodded, now giving his full attention to Jake.

"I'm living in the old barn at the Brierly's." He whispered

"T-T-TODD BEV––" Edwin's voice raised and his eyes widened, but Jake quickly covered his mouth, to silence him. When he finally let go, Edwin continued in a quieter voice "T-T-Todd Beven's h-haunted barn?"

"It's a long story, Edwin" Jake said "I'll tell you all the details later." He leaned over, and whispered in his ear, "It's not haunted, by the way."

Little Edwin's face was in shock. "O-O-Okay Jake, but you'd better not forget to t-t-tell me, a-and don't w-w-worry, your secret's safe with m-me."

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With that, the boys went their separate ways. Jake arrived at the Brierly's home a few minutes before seven. "Hmm…" Mrs. Brierly said. "I thought you'd be late. How'd it go today?"

"Yes, how'd your job hunting go, Jake?" Mr. Brierly asked as they all sat at the table. "Let me guess… no job and you have to go back out tomorrow, right?"

Jake sat up straight. "As a matter of fact, I start work at Big Paul's furniture store tomorrow."

"Big Paul—who's Big Paul?" Mrs. Brierly questioned, placing salad on Jake's plate.

As Jake started to explain, Mr. Brierly interrupted him, tapping his glass with his knife.

"First of all," he said "Welcome home Jake. Now, will you do the honor of saying grace? Then, you can tell us all about this Big Paul fella."

Jake had a smile from ear to ear; excited to hear someone welcoming him 'home'. They all bowed their heads, said grace, and proceeded to listen to Jake's adventures of the day. In addition, they learned all about the newest citizen of Blackwater, Mr. Sutton…better known, as 'Big Paul.'

—

A Fresh Start

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Jake was up early the next morning, feeding the chickens. As he spread the feed around, the back door of the house opened and he heard Mr. Brierly talking to his wife.

"Okay Abigail" Mr. Brierly said. "I'm gonna go wake that boy, so he can do some work around here before he goes over to Big Paul's."

Mr. Brierly stepped onto the porch, adjusted his hat, took a breath of fresh air, preparing to head over to the old barn when he heard Jake's voice in the distance.

"Good morning Mr. B! I thought I'd get an early start today!"

Mr. Brierly smiled, walked over to the chicken coup and leaned against the wired fence. "Mornin' Jake!" He replied, "you must be pretty excited to work with Big Paul today, huh?"

"Sure am!" Jake answered, dumping the last bit of feed into a small pile. "I'm actually pretty excited about it. What do I have to do now? I'm all done feeding the chickens."

"Well" he answered, "Madison will be out shortly, and she'll tell you what to do. Meanwhile, you can go grab about six eggs from the hen house. Just reach underneath the hens and take the eggs, it's not that hard; give them to Mrs. Brierly so she can start our breakfast."

Mr. Brierly went to check the crop field leaving Jake to gather the eggs. Jake took a deep breath, exhaled and walked into the hen house.
"Okay Jake"
he said to himself.
"You can do this. Just reach underneath the hens and grab their eggs; it's easy."

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As he walked in, he could swear all of the hens were glaring at him, daring him to take just one of their eggs. Jake slowly, quietly reached for the small basket on the floor. He stood up straight, stuck his chest out and began pacing, pretending to be one of the top generals in the United States Army.

Unknown to the self-appointed general, Mr. Brierly heard every word Jake said, as he gave his newly acquired troops a pep talk for tonight's war against the Wolves.

"Young troopers!" Jake called to the apathetic chickens. "My name is General Patterson. I'm a highly decorated officer, and a legendary war hero. I'm sure you've all heard of me by now. I was there as we entered the war in 1917. I fought fearlessly, being wounded several times, but each time I managed to make it out alive. War is a horrible thing, young hens. Many of you may lose your lives tonight, but keep a stiff upper beak, for we shall surely triumph over the Wolves this evening, or my name isn't General J.H. Patterson! I don't know when this war will end, but we'll be engaging the enemy at dawn. So get some good rest, check your ammo and––"

Jake's historic speech was rudely interrupted as Mr. Brierly poked his head in the door. "Come on General Patterson! Get those eggs to Abby on the double!"

Mr. Brierly left the chicken coup, and headed back to the house. Jake was noticeably embarrassed getting caught acting like the commanding general in the United Sates Army. After all, in just a few months he would officially be a teenager, and he knew that mature teenagers didn't act that way.

Jake poked his head out the door, and realized that Mr. Brierly was nowhere in sight, so he straightened himself up, stuck out his chest and continued commanding his troops.

"I will be leading the charge tonight, young hens, so I could use about six extra grenades!"

He slowly reached under the hens, retrieving six grenades, which looked exactly like chicken eggs. Just before leaving the hen house, he turned back toward the hens. "Good luck tonight, young hens" he said. "Be brave—and God Speed!"

Leaving the coup, he marched a few steps, and upon reaching the wired gate, he turned back into the normal twelve year old, named Jake Henry Patterson.

Mrs. Brierly thanked Jake as he arrived. "Thank you General Patterson, I'm sure the troops will be well fed with these eggs!"

Jake let out an embarrassing chuckle, and felt his face turn beet red as Mr. and Mrs. Brierly began to laugh aloud. Jake shyly looked over at Madison, who tried her hardest not to laugh, but the image of Jake commanding a bunch of uninterested hens, she finally cracked a smile, then started to laugh.

"Jake, my dear!" she said, using her best southern accent, putting her hands over her heart and batting her eyes. "Please be careful tonight, and come home safely—please Jake, come home safely!"

Jake was an open minded fellow, the kind of kid who didn't take things like this to seriously or personally. He knew the Brierly's were witty and liked to have fun, so instead of getting angry, he began to laugh with them, and joined in on the fun, replying to Madison in his best southern drawl.

"Maddie" he said, dropping down to one knee, placing his left hand over his heart and extending his right hand. "If for any reason I don't return from war tonight, I only ask that you—that you remember me."

Jake and the Brierly's continued to laugh as Mr. Brierly patted him on the back. "You're an alright kid, Jake!"

"Okay, that's enough," Mrs. Brierly said, as she stopped laughing. "Go and clean yourselves up. Breakfast will be ready in just a few minutes."

The kids went to wash up, and Mrs. Brierly finished cooking in no time; then they sat down for breakfast. "So Jake" Mr. Brierly said "Are you ready for your big day with Mr. Sutton?"

Jake had just shoved a fork full of eggs in his mouth, and looked at Mr. Brierly. He cracked a smile and began to chew as fast as he could.

"I sure am, Mr. B." he answered "He's expecting me after cleaning up Smitty's storage area."

"You're helping Smitty?" Mr. Brierly asked, in a puzzled voice.

"Well" Jake began, "It's a really long story. Let's just say I'm doing it for free, to make up for all the stuff I stole in the past."

"Well" Mr. Brierly nodded in approval. "I'm real proud of you son, keep it up!" Then he reached in his pocket and pulled out some change, giving it to Jake. "Here's some money for lunch today, I'm sure you'll work up a mighty good appetite!"

"Thanks Mr. B!" Jake said as he accepted the money.

After they finished breakfast, Mr. Brierly went to work on his crops, Mrs. Brierly tended to the house, Madison and Jake cleaned the table, washed the dishes, then finished up their chores.

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Jake made his way into town and headed right for Smitty's store. He arrived around 8:45 a.m., and saw Smitty waiting anxiously at the door. Jake shook his head and walked right past him.

"Don't look so happy, Smitty." Jake said.

"This is gonna be my best day ever!" Smitty said, as he rubbed his hands together and started sucking on his teeth.

He grabbed Jake by the arm, applying some pressure, and led him to the back of the storage area. When Jake saw all the junk pilled in there, he nearly fainted. "This is gonna take all week to get this organized!" Jake folded his arms and sighed.

"Yeah, I know!" Smitty laughed. "Ain't life great—NOW GET TO WORK!"

After working for about two hours, Jake had an idea. He purposely began to break things, making it seem like nothing more than a careless accident. Every time Smitty heard something break, he would run to the storage area to see what was happening. After a while, Smitty had enough; his profits were slowly being destroyed.

"Alright Jake!" Smitty huffed. "You're doing more damage than good, so we'll call it even. Let's just say you've paid me back, okay? Now get out of here, before you break anything else!"

Jake left the store with a mischievous smile. "And remember," Smitty yelled. "If you ever steal from here again, I'm gonna tell Big Paul so fast you won't know what happened!"

"No problem Smitty!" Jake replied. "I've learned my lesson. The next time you see me in here, I'll have money!"

After he was out of Smitty's sight, he began to laugh, knowing he outwit Smitty once again.

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Jake walked into big Paul's shop and heard a pleasant ring as the top of the door met a well-placed bell causing it to chime. He looked towards the bell, then turned his attention to all the disorganized furniture in the store. He began to peek inside some boxes, when Big Paul emerged from his little office, wiping his hands on a rag.

"Hi Jake!" Big Paul greeted. "I thought it was you ringing the bell. How are you today, and how did things go over at Smitty's?"

"Doing great Big Paul. Everything went well, but I'm here now. And ready to put in an honest day's work!"

"Well I suppose we should get this place organized" Big Paul replied tossing the rag to Jake. "Let's get this place looking like a furniture store, what do ya say?"

"Yes sir, just tell me where you want everything, and I'll get right to work!" He smiled.

"I'll tell you what, I'm gonna leave this project to you. I've got some paperwork I need to get done in the office, use your imagination and make this place look good. Remember, whenever you complete any job, you're putting an unwritten signature on it, so do it right the first time."

"How can I sign something without writing my name on it?" Jake asked, a puzzled look crossed his face.

Big Paul grabbed two chairs and pulled them over as they both sat down. "Jake, my boy!" he said, "Whenever you complete something, you always put your unwritten signature on it—you see, your unwritten signature is your mark, it's what people remember you by. More importantly, it's a sign of what you think of yourself. For example, if you do something just good enough to get by, that's your unwritten signature, so when others see your work, they'll think of you as mediocre, or someone that did just enough to get by. But it's you that will live with the fact that you didn't give it your all."

As Jake began to process what Big Paul said, he dropped his head down, remembering what he did in Smitty's storage area; breaking things on purpose just to get out of the job. Mr. Sutton smiled, reached over and put his hand on Jake's shoulder.

"However" he proceeded. "It's never too late to start. You can start right here, right now!" Jake picked his head up, began to smile, and continued to listen to Big Paul. "If you always give your all in whatever you do, it won't matter if it turns out right or not. It won't matter if people like it or not. Just as long as people know that you gave it your all, that's what's important. What matters even more, is what you think of yourself. Be proud of yourself Jake, and know that you did your absolute best. Once you know that you've done your best, it won't matter what people say, you'll be able to hold your head high knowing that you didn't quit; that you didn't back down or give in. Your signature is a reflection of how you truly think of yourself, and you know somethin' Jake—I believe in you." Big Paul stood up and finished by saying "Here's something to think about; the front of the store will be the items for sale, and the back will be our workshop, where we'll build and repair furniture."

"Mr. Sutton?" Jake asked, rubbing his chin. "This store is just one big open space. If the front is for the finished furniture, and the back is for us to work, then won't all the sawdust from the furniture we're working on get on the furniture we're trying to sell?"

"Good point, Jake." Mr. Sutton nodded. "Sounds like we've got a little problem…what should we do about that?"

"We could build a wall, making two rooms?" He said. "One side for our workshop, and the other for people to shop. I know how to build that kind of stuff; I learned it from my father!"

"Well, just tell me what you'll need and I'll order it; meanwhile go ahead and straighten the place up a bit, but remember, this is your project, with your signature, so give it your all!"

As Mr. Sutton disappeared into his office, Jake put his hands on his hips and began to look around the shop. There were boxes thrown here and there, and furniture scattered about. He initially felt a little overwhelmed, and his intense enthusiasm started to fade, when all of a sudden he heard Big Paul's voice coming from the office.

"To start, mentally divide the shop in sections. Then work one section at a time; it'll make things easier."

Jake nodded his head, looked around, and did as he was instructed, allowing the stress of all the clutter to disappear. He worked section by section, taking things from boxes, and placing them where he felt they belonged.

Mr. Sutton emerged from the office after about an hour, and was pleasantly surprised at the progress the boy was making. "I'm gonna go get us something to eat." Big Paul said "What are you in the mood for?"

"What about doughnuts?" Jake smiled.

"There's still a lot of work to be done, are you sure that's what you want?" Mr. Sutton replied.

"Well" Jake licked his lips and nodded his head. "I could eat doughnuts all day, every day. I bet if you bought a big bag of them, I'd eat every last one. I would love to have about fifty doughnuts!"

"Hold on a second." Mr. Sutton chuckled. "I don't know about fifty—but if you want doughnuts, that's what I'll get. I'll be back in about thirty minutes, so in the meantime just keep up the good work, this place is looking great!"

Hearing that meant a lot to Jake. He wasn't used to anyone giving him compliments. Instead, almost daily, someone would tell him he was a failure, a good-for-nothing waste of humanity, or that he would never amount to anything. So for someone to say that he was doing a good job, made him even more determined to do his best.