“Why is that?”
Because this street dead ends just past those buildings and the only way to get around them without taking that alley is to run in the opposite direction to get around them. Watch, I’ll show you.”
• • •
Pat drove him home and Gregory saw Pat was right; he showed him several shortcuts that reduced the distance about a mile. He dropped Gregory off at his apartment and said, “Have a good weekend and I’ll see you Monday morning.” Gregory nodded, walked into the building, and went to his room. He took a long shower and cried in the running water. His mother was gone; she never really had a chance but now he was alone. Maybe she was now at peace free of her addictions and pain. Somehow he doubted it, but he refused to allow his mind to go there.
One morning after two months had passed, Gregory saw that Noel hadn’t shown up for work. He looked at Jerry and he shook his head, “He’s never been late.” It was one minute before eight and Gregory ran to the clock and punched Noel in. He rushed back to the assembly line as it started rolling. He assembled the parts in front of Noel’s station and then assembled the parts in front of his. For the next hour, he rushed back and forth between the stations and that’s when Noel rushed in. He saw he was already punched in and he ran to his station. He found Gregory assembling the parts. He looked at Jerry, “Has the assembly line been slowed?!”
“No, he’s kept it up.”
“Thank God.” Noel turned to Gregory and said, “Thank you for this; I won’t forget it.”
Gregory shrugged, “No one wants to have their production bonus reduced. Besides, you’d do the same for me.”
“I hate to confess that I don’t know if that’s true. But it will be from now on.” Word got out on what Gregory had done and he was finally fully accepted into the workers at the factory.
• • •
The first six months was a constant learning experience on how to dress for the unpredictable weather in Boston. But he finally got things down and his run each morning lasted around forty minutes. He could have done it faster, and did in inclement weather, but forty minutes was a comfortable pace. He knew the route home and everything on it. That’s why he stopped on his run home and stood outside a business staring up at the sign, ‘High School Equivalency Certificates’. He had thought about stopping and investigating numerous times but always backed out. Today was a beautiful day and he decided. He opened the door and walked in.
He approached a desk and stopped in his tracks. A young black woman looked up at him from behind a desk saw the collar around his neck. Her eyes narrowed as she asked, “Is something wrong?”
Gregory shook his head, “You are beautiful!” The woman’s head tilted; Gregory saw her expression and raised his hands, “I don’t mean to appear to be coming on to you; I’m not.”
The woman looked at his expression and smiled, “Thank you. What can I help you with?”
Gregory raised a shoulder, “I never finished high school and I’m wondering if you might help me get a certificate.” The woman stared at him and Gregory saw she was looking at his collar. He lowered his head and said, “I’ve been away for a while.”
“What is your name?”
“Gregory Jennings, Ma’am.”
“I’m Eliza Jackson. That’s what we do here. Do you want to join the program?”
“How much does it cost?”
“Nothing.” Gregory’s head went back. “The State of Massachusetts funds the course to assist people in finding jobs.”
Gregory shrugged, “I already have a job.”
“What do you do?”
“Work on an assembly line.”
“Well, perhaps you don’t want to work on one your entire life. Before you can enter the program, we need to determine what you know; then we’ll develop a personalized program of study for you.”
Gregory smiled, “Count me in! What do I need to do?”
“When will you be coming to class?”
Gregory shrugged, “I have to work during the day.”
Eliza smiled, “We have night classes so that shouldn’t be a problem. The test consists of language, math, and history questions…”
“I don’t know anything about history,” Gregory interrupted.
“What about English and Math.”
Gregory raised a shoulder, “I’ve learned a lot of rules on proper speaking and I’m pretty good at math.” Gregory paused and said, “I think I need to get some books on history and read them before I take the test.”
Eliza saw he was shy about embarrassing himself and she said, “Tell you what.” She opened a drawer in her desk and took out a large book. “This book covers everything on the test. Take it with you and when you’ve finished reading it, bring it back and I’ll give you your test.”
Eliza had learned that if someone wasn’t really committed to taking the course, they would refuse the book and leave. But Gregory’s eyes widened, and he said, “Thank you Ms. Jackson!”
Eliza smiled, “Just be sure to bring it back.”
“I would never keep another’s property. I’ll be back to take the test when I finish the book. Thank you so much!” Gregory put the large book in his backpack and left. Eliza had no doubt he would bring the book back…there was something about him…
• • •
The next afternoon, Eliza looked up and saw Gregory walk through the door with the book in his hands. She frowned and asked, “Have you decided not to join our program?”
“Oh no! I’ve finished the book and I’m ready to take the test.”
“Mr. Jennings, that book is seven hundred pages long!”
Gregory nodded, “And every page is filled with exciting information. I never knew about all the things that happened in our country’s history. And the history since the Suppression was the most interesting of all.”
“Are you telling me you read that book last night after you left?”
“Well, I actually read it twice it was so enjoyable.” Eliza stared at him and Gregory shrugged, “I promise; I read all of it.”
Eliza forced a smile and said, “Well, let’s get you tested. Please take a seat at this desk.” Gregory sat down in front of a screen and his eyes narrowed. “Is something wrong?”
“What is this thing?” Gregory asked.
Eliza’s brow furrowed, “It’s a computer console.”
“A what?”
“Gregory, you’ve never seen a computer?”
“I remember hearing in the eighth grade that some schools were using them, but my school wasn’t given any; it was located in a rough area of town. I’ve never actually seen one.”
Eliza stared at Gregory for a moment and then pressed some keys. A form appeared on the screen and Eliza said, “Let me show you how to enter your information.” Eliza showed him how to use the mouse to move to the correct lines and boxes and then said, “Enter your name on the highlighted line.”
Gregory looked at her, “How?”
“Use the keyboard to enter the letters.”
Gregory looked at the keyboard and said, “They’re not in alphabetical order.”
Eliza shook her head and began typing in Gregory’s information. Once it was entered, she pulled up the first question and said, “Notice that the screen reads, ‘Question Number One’,” Gregory nodded. “Use the mouse to click on the box next to it and the first question will appear. Under the question, a number of possible answers will appear. Choose the one you think is correct and use the mouse to click the box next to it. Then use the wheel on the mouse to move down to the next question, understand?”
Gregory smiled, “Seems simple enough.”
Eliza lifted a stopwatch and said, “You have two hours to complete as many questions as possible. I’ll start your time when you click the first question; good luck.” Gregory clicked the first question and Eliza pressed the stopwatch. She turned and went to her desk to look at the results of the day students on her computer screen.
• • �
�
Thirty-six minutes later, Eliza heard a ping. She looked up and saw Gregory staring at her, “There aren’t any more questions.” Eliza walked over and saw the last question on the monitor. She frowned and went back to her desk. “Have I done something wrong?”
“Give me a moment!” Eliza responded. She pulled up Gregory’s exam and stared at the monitor. After a few moments, she pressed a button and the printer activated. She took the document off the tray and walked back to Gregory. She put the document in front of him and Gregory read it. His eyes widened and Eliza said, “We can teach you nothing you don’t already know. You answered every question correctly and thus that qualifies for your certificate, congratulations.” Gregory’s smile was huge, and Eliza sat down in a desk next to him. “It’s rare for someone to do as well as you’ve just done. I’m hoping you will allow me to advise you on what you should do next.”
“I’m open to advice, Ms. Jackson.”
“Call me Eliza. Though you know all the course material, you know nothing about computers. We offer a remedial course on computers and I hope you’ll come in and take it. It will teach you how to type and how to operate a computer. I think it will really benefit you to do that.”
“I look forward to it.”
“Once you complete the course, you should go out and purchase a good computer.”
“Why?”
“Because some of the questions on the test are college level and you correctly answered them. You should be going to college, Gregory.”
“I can’t do that Eliza. I have a job.”
“You can take online courses at night.”
“Online?”
“The remedial course will teach you what that means. However, once you purchase a good computer, you should go through the tutorial that teaches you how to use it and the programs installed on it. Once you’ve done that, I’ll contact some colleges I know and see about getting you tested and accepted into one of them.”
Gregory frowned, “How much does a good computer cost?”
“A really good portable laptop with the most important applications runs between one and two thousand dollars. Can you afford it?” Gregory thought about it for a moment and nodded. Eliza smiled, “Good. I’ll have a spot for you in the computer class starting tomorrow at six; is that alright?”
“Yes Ma’am. I’ll be here.” Gregory picked up his backpack and walked out.
Eliza went back to his test and stared at it. The truth was no one had ever made a perfect score on the test, even the ones that developed it. And no one had ever completed it as fast as Gregory had done. She thought he wasn’t telling the truth about having read the history book, but he had to of read every question to answer them correctly. She looked at the door and knew he was something out of the ordinary.
• • •
Gregory completed the computer course and the only real benefit he got out of it was learning how to type. He purchased a good laptop and started going through the tutorial on how to operate it and then went through each of the app’s tutorials. His skill at focusing on detail developed in the first math book Lou gave him made a huge difference and he felt no pressure to rush through them.
Gene convinced him to share the cost of his wi-fi and once he went on line, the world opened up in a big way. Finally, he went back to see Eliza after four months. She got him tested by SNU university and he was accepted into their online degree program. Once again, his nights were filled with learning and it felt good to be mentally pushed again. It reminded him of his time with Lou. He finished his freshman classes in one semester as the Twenty-Eighth Year of the Suppression started. That’s when disaster struck.
Chapter Nine
The day started off normally enough; the Semester was over, and it was winter in Boston. Gregory didn’t bring his backpack to work that day and he left jogging at a faster pace to keep warm. He ran through the park and turned into the alley between the buildings. It was already dark, and the temperature was dropping fast. He arrived at the end of the alley and heard a scream. He made the turn and saw a man had wrapped his arm around another man’s neck and bent him over backwards. He raised a huge knife above his head and prepared to slam it into the man’s chest he was holding. Gregory didn’t think; he rushed up behind the attacker and hit him in back of the head with a fist. The man’s arms fell, he dropped the knife, and collapsed to the pavement. Gregory fell on top of him and looked up at the man and two women beside him, “RUN, I’LL HOLD HIM DOWN! RUN NOW!!”
The younger woman lowered her cell phone as a police cruiser came roaring down and two officers jumped out of the vehicle with raised Tasers. One officer ran up, saw Gregory lying on top of the attacker, and saw the huge knife laying next to them. He instantly shot Gregory in the back; everything went black as Gregory convulsed in spasms.
• • •
He regained consciousness and opened his eyes. He was lying on a cot and saw that he was in a jail cell. He raised an arm and saw he was wearing a green jumpsuit. He closed his eyes and knew that everything he had done was wasted and out the window. He had violated the terms of his probation by attacking a citizen; the man he hit was not wearing a collar. The terms made it clear that harming a private citizen for any reason was a violation. He took a deep breath and felt his tears start. Lt. Jiles entered his cell and Gregory looked up at him, “I’m so sorry I’ve disappointed you.”
Jiles put a hand on Gregory’s shoulder, “When I learned what happened, I came immediately. You have not disappointed me and I’m here to speak on your behalf.”
Gregory stood up and squared his shoulders, “Thank you.”
Jiles nodded and said, “It’s time to go.”
• • •
The Senior Judge entered the courtroom from a back door and looked at the Judge sitting on the bench, “Get out!”
“But this is my shift!”
“I’m not telling you again and if you don’t want to be assigned to the last shift you better start moving.” The judge got up and left the room. The Senior Judge took his seat and turned to a police officer, “I’ve just received a call from a reporter that something’s going on here.”
“Yes, Your Honor.”
The Judge looked at the clock and saw it was a quarter ‘til seven, “What’s going on?”
“Last night the Mayor and his family were physically attacked by a man wielding a large knife. Another man rushed in and hit the attacker in the back of the head rupturing the vertebrae in his neck killing him.”
“So what’s the problem?”
“That man was wearing a collar. He’s part of the Fresh Start Program.”
The Judge’s head fell slightly as he asked, “Is the man’s last name Jennings?”
“Yes, Your Honor.”
“Go on.”
“The defendant fell on top of the attacker and yelled for the Mayor and his family to run to safety; he evidently didn’t know he had killed the attacker. When the arresting officers arrived, they assumed the defendant was the attacker because he was wearing a collar and the knife was lying beside him.”
The judge blew out a breath, “There was overwhelming evidence to support that.”
“Yes, Your Honor. It was at that point that the Mayor’s wife and daughter started screaming at them and the Mayor joined them when he managed to catch his breath. They’re outside the courtroom now with about fifty reporters. They’re demanding to be present when the defendant is brought before the court.”
The Judge looked at the clock and saw it was seven A.M. “Open the doors and let them in. Bring the defendant to the court.”
The doors opened and a crowd rushed through them shouting questions at the judge. The Mayor was shouting the loudest. The Judge slammed his gavel and stood up. The room became instantly silent and the Judge glared at the gathering, “This is a court of law and you will remain silent during the proceedings unless a question is directed to you. If you interrupt the proceedings I will charge you with contempt of
court and you will spend a night in jail.”
A reporter stood up and shouted, “THIS IS A TRAVISTY…”
The judge hit his gavel and ordered, “Bailiff, escort that man to jail!” The man was forcibly removed from the court and the Judge glared at the room, “Does anyone else wish to join him?” The room was silent as Gregory was brought into the court by Lt. Jiles. He looked up and recognized the Judge. He was the one that sentenced him to a life sentence more than twelve years earlier. He blew out a breath and shook his head.
The Judge turned to Gregory and said, “It’s been a long time, Mr. Jennings.”
“Yes Sir,” Gregory replied softly.
“Before we get started, you were accepted into the Fresh Start Program with very specific conditions you had to follow, correct?” Gregory nodded. “One of those conditions was that if you harmed a private citizen for any reason, good or bad, you would be returned to complete your life sentence at the port. Did you fully understand that condition?”
“Yes.”
The gathering started murmuring and the judge raised his gavel; the room instantly grew silent. The judge turned back to Gregory and said, “I think it’s important for everyone present to understand why you were given a life sentence. You went with three men who forced their way into a home with the intent to rob and kill them; is that correct?”
“Yes.”
“You were caught by one of the neighbors when you attempted to flee the scene.” Gregory nodded. “You carried a long sword to the scene of the crime, and it had your fingerprints on it. Your only defense was to tell the court that you were threatened to be killed if you didn’t go with them.”
Gregory looked up, “They also threatened to kill my mother.”
The judge nodded, “That was part of your alibi. That particular alibi is used by more than seventy percent of the criminals we arrest. When asked, you said there were no witnesses to corroborate your testimony. Only the three home invaders that were killed at the scene. An officer went to your residence to discuss with your mother if she knew about the threat and we found she had overdosed on heroine.”
The Watcher II: The Time of Suppression Page 11
