Tuck's Revenge

by Rory Flannigan

  Jack’s father told him Elizabeth had gotten married over five years before, and was living about ten miles from there. Jack Jr. was eager to go see her, and asked his dad to take him. But Jack Sr. fell sort of silent, and was reluctant to take him there. Finally he divulged the reason for his reluctance, and explained to Jack Jr. Elizabeth unknowingly married a man that turned out to be domineering, and it was rumored he had hit her in the past. Elizabeth asked Jack and Haley to stay away and not interfere with the relationship because it just enflamed the situation. So it had been nearly two years since they’d seen her.

  “You gotta be shitting me!” Jack snapped. “Liz don’t put up with that shit.”

  “Boy, she did,” Jack Sr. said slowly. “Been down there ten times or more trying to get her to see reason, she just won’t. Your mother has been beside herself for years, and so has everyone else in town. All of us tried to help her but it just doesn’t work. Saw a counselor, said if Liz don’t want help she ain’t gonna take it. We have to wait.”

  “Bullshit,” Jack muttered. “I don’t have to wait for nothing. No one is gonna do that to my sister.”

  “Listen, boy, you need to give it time, she will hear you are back. Maybe she will come here. You don’t want to go there, that sonofabitch is mean, and he will take it out on our girl.”

  Jack agreed to wait, he needed to get his shit together and figure out what he was going to do in the future. His father had already told him the property next to theirs was for sale, and Jack was already considering putting in an offer. He needed peace, and maybe this was where he could get it.

  It took three weeks for his patience to run out and when it did, Jack saw firsthand what the fuck his father was talking about and it pissed him off.

  Jack Jr. called out several times, but nobody answered or came out, so he honked his horn, and tried to rouse anyone who might be inside. Between the horn and the dog barking, it managed to bring someone to the door.

  The front door swung open, and out stepped a man about six foot four and weighing at least three hundred pounds. He looked dirty and it looked like he hadn’t shaved in a few weeks. He sort of reminded Jack Jr. of himself when he first came out of the jungle in Vietnam, and when he spoke, Jack Jr. knew right off he wasn't going to like the bastard.

  "I'm looking for my sister, Elizabeth."

  The guy got a shit eatin' grin on his face, "You must be little brother Jack?”

  Jack Jr. kept his composure. "That's right, where is she?”

  "She's in the house cooking my dinner right now."

  At that point, Jack Jr.’s composure abruptly ended. "Well, you look like you could miss a meal or two, and I want to see my sister, so why don't you call for her, or better yet, go tell her I'm here."

  The guy stepped off the porch, the shit-eatin’ grin gone, and walked toward Jack Jr. But before he could reach Jack, Elizabeth barreled out the door, jumped off the porch, and ran to Jack Jr.

  “How long have you been home?” she asked and smiled.

  “Just a few days. I went to mom and dad’s and they told me where you were living.”

  Elizabeth’s husband walked up and interjected himself into the conversation. In a smartass tone, “I’m your brother-in-law, Roy.”

  Jack Jr. reluctantly shook hands with his new brother-in-law, and in an attempt to have a test of strength, Roy clenched his hand.

  "Were you in Vietnam?” All the while, he continued to squeeze Jack Jr.’s hand tighter.

  "Yeah, was there for eight years. I don't guess you went, did you?"

  Roy glared at Jack Jr. when he asked, "What makes you think I didn't go?"

  Jack Jr. replied, "You just seem a bit weak and soft around the middle, that's all."

  Roy quickly jerked his hand out of Jack Jr.’s and with an angry tone told Elizabeth to go check dinner.

  Elizabeth looked back and forth between Roy and Jack Jr. “Dinner is done and sitting on the stove. Why don’t you go in and eat while I sit and talk to my brother.”

  Roy started to say something when Jack Jr. interrupted and glared at Roy. “Sounds like a good idea. Why don’t you go eat while I talk to my sister.”

  Visibly angry, Roy turned around, walked back into the house, and slammed the door.

  Jack Jr. looked at Elizabeth, and she looked back at him, as if she knew exactly what he was thinking. “Before you say anything, I am in a bad situation, but it’s something I have to work my way through, so please don’t get in the middle of it.

  They stood silent for what seemed like hours as Jack Jr. started at his sister. “Why the hell have you not been over to see Mom and Dad in so long?”

  “We don’t have a running vehicle, and Roy isn’t working at the moment. Besides, Roy and Dad don’t get along.”

  "Mom and Dad said you had some kids now, and Mom wants to see them, and I'd actually like to meet them."

  Elizabeth got a sad look on her face, “The welfare people came and took the kids away from us almost a year ago, and I was ashamed to tell Dad and Mom.”

  “Where did they take them to?” Jack Jr. asked, his stare had turned distant and dark.

  “Roy’s parents,” Elizabeth said, visibly becoming upset at having to tell Jack that information and knowing he’d tell their parents.

  Jack Jr. didn't want to press the issue any further until she was ready to talk more about it. “Well, guess I better go. Anything you need me to do for you?”

  "Just be there when I need you. I'm glad you're back home, now I can go forward with what I've needed to do for a longtime, knowing you are here for me."

  Jack Jr. assured her he would be there whenever, for whatever, at any time day or night. Then he climbed in the pickup and drove away, without an ounce of knowledge on what he would eventually face.

  Chapter Two

  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 d
o 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.”