Tuck's Revenge (3 page)

Violence: behavior involving physical force
intended to hurt, damage, or kill someone or something.

Three more weeks passed, where Jack Jr.
settled into life back in town. He hadn’t made up his mind yet what
he was going to do, but right now, he was just helping his dad and
eating his mom’s food. He was also getting to know the town again,
much to his mother’s chagrin that included the females in town too.
His high school reputation picked up right where it had in the
past. Especially since the only bar in town was where everyone hung
out.

Jack Jr. was also brought up-to-date on his
sister’s asshole husband at the bar that knew him well. It pissed
him off, but he had adhered to his sister’s wishes and stayed away.
It wasn’t until one night he met a man at the bar when he should
have realized something was up. He missed the clues, and because of
that, later Jack Jr. would blame himself.

Bill Sim approached him slowly over the
course of a few days, which was what Jack Jr. would blame the lack
of knowledge of what the man was planning. He was familiar and so
the day he had been in town looking to pick up something for his
father, it had not seemed unreal that Bill was there and offered
him a ride when the truck broke down.

"I have something to show you, and then
something to tell you afterward.” Bill pulled into a turn off at
the head of a long driveway, and at the other end of that, was a
small house and a barn. Bill pulled on out to the barn, and then
asked Jack Jr. if he could open the door so he could drive
inside.

Jack Jr. did as he was asked, and after Bill
drove in, he asked him to close the door behind them. The back half
of the barn was petitioned off with a wall from the ground to the
rafters, and with a heavy steel door in the middle with no windows.
Bill unlocked it, and they walked inside. He flipped the light
switch, and inside there were so many motorcycles and motorcycle
parts, Jack Jr. was in awe. After everything he had witness over
the years, it was extremely hard to make Jack Jr. be in awe of
anything.

"If I remember correctly, you have an
infatuation with motorcycles, don't you?”

At that moment, Jack Jr. turned around and
his guard instantly went up. "Who are you and how do you know
me?"

Bill calmly said, "Settle down and don't get
in such a defensive posture. Don’t you remember the day you found
out Steven died?”

"Of course I remember.”

Bill then explained, "That day you came into
the office and asked about your friend, Steven, I was one of the
people in the office filing paperwork. I was there doing my last
three months before my discharge because I was injured, and they
had me filing papers until my discharge came through instead of
sending me back out with my unit. I had a sort of hobby looking up
soldiers like your friend, Steven, and your concern when you found
out what happened got my curiosity up. So I looked him up through
the military records, and when I discharged and finally got back to
the States, I came to see where he lived so I could learn all I
could about him. So, along with learning of him, I learned of you
also since you both were so close. I spoke with a gentleman that
told me about you and Steven cleaning his garage for some old bikes
and some odd parts, trying to get yourselves some bikes to ride. He
told me how you and Steven cleaned, polished, and got those bikes
running for trail riding. Then I spoke with the gentleman that you
did the trade for the bikes.”

Bill went on to tell Jack Jr. how he was
impressed with their innovation and ingenuity to get what they
wanted. "With you just getting home, how would you like to work for
me?"

"What kind of work you do?”

Bill said, "Motorcycle repair of course.”

Well, Jack Jr. was interested in Bill’s
proposition, agreeing to go to work for him.

Bill said, "Great, you want to start in the
morning?”

Jack Jr. agreed, and said he'd be there.

His first day of work with Bill was
uneventful for the most part. However, on the second day, Bill came
to Jack Jr. and said, “How do you feel about us getting you another
bike together?”

Jack Jr. told Bill he planned to get another
one when he could afford it.

“You won't find one cheaper than right here,
so why don't we put one together while you're working for me?"

Jack Jr. explained to Bill he first had to
get the money for a place of his own to stay, and then he could
concentrate on transportation.

"I've been meaning to ask you about that. How
about you stay here in the backroom?"

Jack Jr. grinned. "So, what's your plan? To
get me in debt on a bike and also rent, then I end up owing you
every week?"

"Did I say it would cost you anything?"

"No, Bill, but nobody can stay anywhere for
free. And besides, I don't want to feel like I owe anybody."

"Well, I'll tell you what. Once we get your
bike built, I'll let you start making some runs for me to pay me
back." Though a little suspicious, Jack Jr. agreed.

*****

Over the next couple of weeks in Jack Jr.’s
spare time, he and Bill built his bike, and not just any bike—a
chopper that ended up being the envy of all the bikers in the area.
When Jack Jr. first got on and started it up, the smile that came
across his face was all that needed to be said. He was pleased with
the outcome of the project, but while he was doing the finishing
touches, he couldn't help but think about Steven, and how he always
talked about having a chopper and traveling the United States
someday.

Those memories brought Jack Jr. sadness, and
he never dealt with sadness well, so he tried not to dwell on it
too much. He knew working and staying busy kept his mind off
unpleasant things from his days in Vietnam, or the issues his
sister was dealing with at the time. So that's what he did most
days, he just stayed busy and concentrated on learning all he could
from Bill about working on and building motorcycles. Finally, he
felt like he belonged to something.

Jack loved his parents but he needed more,
and his parents understood. He promised to be over all the time for
his mom’s cooking, but it was time for him to have his own life,
something he finally was figuring out, something the bike had given
him. He remembered how free he felt on the bike and he knew this
was something for him.

Jack Jr. had been working for Bill about a
month, when one morning Bill came in with a serious look on his
face. Jack Jr. asked him what was wrong because he was visibly
preoccupied with something.

"Sit down, Jack, I have something to tell
you."

Was Bill fixing to tell him he didn't have a
job anymore? Or was he fixing to tell him he didn't have a place to
live anymore? Or maybe both? Jack Jr. sat down and said, "What is
it, Bill?”

"Jack, I have a police scanner up at the
house, and I heard this morning the police were called out to your
parents’ house and that your mom and dad were hurt and taken to the
hospital.”

Jack Jr. stood and headed toward the
door.

"Wait, let me go with you." They got in the
truck and headed for the hospital. After arriving, Jack Jr. ran to
the admissions desk and inquired about his parents. A doctor came
out and informed Jack Jr. his mother was in critical condition,
then added that Jack Sr. unfortunately had died from his
injuries.

When he asked how he died, the doctor told
him he would have to speak to the police, and get the information
from them. So he left and went straight to the police station to
ask about his parents. After a few minutes, a desk sergeant walked
up front and led Jack Jr. back to his office.

"When was the last time you saw your
parents?"

Jack Jr. replied, "I had dinner with them
Saturday evening, then I left around seven o’clock. What happened
to my parents?"

"They were beaten with what we think was a
ball bat. Your father had massive head trauma, and as you know,
succumbed to his injuries shortly after arriving at the hospital.
We still don't know whether your mother will pull through or not.
Do you know where your sister is?"

"I suppose at home, why?"

"Your sister and her husband were seen
leaving your parents’ house last night, and nobody has seen them
since."

"That's not possible. My sister would never
hurt our parents." What the officer said next exhausted all of Jack
Jr.’s emotions and understanding.

"Mr. Tucker, we know you've been away for
quite a while and may not know this. But your sister has an
extensive rap sheet for drugs and a few other things. A little over
a year ago, she was arrested for soliciting teenage girls for her
husband, and their children were taken away from them by Child
Welfare. Now this happens to your parents, and they were reported
being seen at your parents’ house, so that makes them
suspects."

Jack Jr. left the police station in
disbelief. However, from his days spent in Vietnam, he learned well
that nothing is beyond what people are capable of. But this news
about his sister was hard to believe, this was the girl he loved
and looked up to his whole life.

"I'm sorry, Jack, is there anything I can do
to help?” Bill asked as they were driving back to the hospital.

Jack Jr. didn’t answer, he went back into
that shell he had been trying to break out of most of his life.
With Bill’s experience in the military, he knew Jack Jr. probably
wouldn't come out of that shell again until he was ready to deal
with the issue. But Bill didn't know what steps he may want to take
in order to take care of it, so all he could do was wait and see.
Until that time came, Bill had every intention of seeing to Jack
Jr. and all he needed to get him through this.

When Bill and Jack Jr. arrived back at the
hospital, Jack Jr. just sat in the truck staring out the
window.

"Jack, we don't have to do this right now if
you're not up to it."

"No, it's okay, I need to go see my
mother."

But as they were walking through the front
door, the doctor met them and told Jack Jr. the news he didn't want
or need to hear. His mother had just died also. So again, for the
third time in a day, Jack Jr. was told something he didn't want to
hear, and he was being pushed over the edge with all the
overwhelming news. After hearing what the doctor had to say, he
simply turned around, went outside, sat down on a bench, and stared
into a reflecting pool in the courtyard. He sat there for a few
hours, and Bill patiently waited for him until Jack was ready to
say something.

After a time, Jack Jr. walked toward Bill’s
pickup. Bill right on his heels. "What do you want to do now?"

"Bill, let's go home, I have some things to
do.”

So Bill started the pickup, and they drove
home like Jack Jr. wanted. Once they arrived back home, Jack Jr.
retired to his room and wasn't seen for the rest of the day, or
night.

The next morning, Jack Jr. was up early, and
he told Bill he needed to arrange for his parents at the funeral
home, and wanted Bill to come along with him. Well Bill told him
that he'd be glad to go and help anyway he could. But on the way to
town, Jack Jr. was ready to talk, and opened up to Bill like he'd
never opened up to anyone before.

“You know when I was in Vietnam, I thought if
I didn’t get out of there I would lose what last bit of humanity I
had,” Jack said.

Bill nodded. “Happens in war.”

“Maybe,” Jack said and looked out the window.
“Still, you know what is fucked up right now?”

“What is that?” Bill asked.

Jack turned to him and knew his eyes looked
dead, they had to because he could feel nothing.

“I feel like I am back there. You know, like
shit is going on around me and it doesn’t make a difference ‘cause
I got a job to do and can’t let anything else in,” Jack said and
Bill frowned but nodded, so he continued, "Well, now my job is more
important, I got work to do, so I can't stay here much longer.”

“Let's take care of your parents, then we'll
go home and talk about it.”

Jack Jr. was thinking Bill would try to talk
him out of doing what he had plans to do. "Not much need in
talking, because you won't change my mind.”

"Don't want to change your mind, I just want
to make sure you don't get in trouble over what you want to do.” So
both of them made their way to town, and took care of the business
that needed attending to with Jack Jr.’s parents, and then they
drove back home and sat down to have a talk.

Once back at the house, Jack Jr. started to
say something when Bill interrupted. "Jack, I need to lay something
on the line for you.”

Jack Jr. was listening intently. "What is it
you need to tell me, Bill?”

Bill continued and said, "When I met you, I
lied when I told you that I was here looking into Steven and his
background.”

Jack Jr. smiled and said, "Yeah, I know you
were. Didn’t make much sense you looking into Steven yet still
being here, he doesn’t have any family to speak of around here
anymore. I was just waiting to find out
why
you were lying
about that.”

Bill continued by saying, "I was gathering as
much information as I could on you, because I wanted to recruit you
to be with my people.”

Jack looked at Bill and said, "Your people?
Who are your people?”

Bill sat down beside Jack Jr., "I'll tell you
everything you want to know. First, let me explain a few things and
let me finish before you form an opinion. When I joined the Army, I
joined just like you and Steven, but for a different reason than
the two of you did. I joined because I thought ‘what better place
to find good men than in the military?’ And I did find a few good
men until they told me my three-year stint was nearly over. I knew
I either needed more time, or I needed to pick up the pace of
searching out viable recruits.