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August 2nd. If Superman Was Real, How Would He Handle Revenge? I look down from the top of the lamppost on the corner of Tillary and Adams upon the enterance of the Brooklyn Bridge, looking down at the Tillary Street Houses, where Tyrone and James live with theiir parents, and Randal drops by while Cathy is at her parents' home. The Sun has only been out for just a couple of hours as I wait for them to come out to pick up the girls for school. 6:45am, they walk out in a trio group, as if they were going to give somebody a miserable day. I search through my bag blindly and pull out a small billy clucb that I put into the back of my pants as secure my belongings to the head of the lamp post, ontop of the light fixture. I keep an eye on them as they walk to the corner to where I was above them, and wait for the light to change. Adrenaline levels are now at full and Red-Eyes in a controllable mode, and if I survive this or not, this will be one fight that Brooklyn will not forget. I quietly slide down the lamppost, and stand right behind them unnoticed. At least unnoticed for the moment, for as they spoke to each other, Tyrone turns his head and notices me standing behind him. Before he can react, he gets a face full of fist that renders him unconscious. James tries to turn to fight me, but like his brother, gets knocked as I pull out the billy club and use it on him on the back of his head. With two down, and I in a striking position, Randal looks at me for a moment, and tries to makes it across the street- Adams Street, at the Entrance of the Brooklyn Bridge, with early morning rush hour traffic running at full speed to cross the bridge. First lane of traffic he was almost struck by an old station wagon some guy was driving, who had to screech to a halt to keep from hitting him. Randal stops for a moment to wait for the smallest of gaps to open to run through the traffic, but I was leap frogging over the station to where he was, taking a hard swing at him but missing. Instead, I takeout the mirror of a delivery truck that slowed down for us. The three police officers who were tending traffic duty stop all traffic and come running towards us. With traffic brought to a dead stop, Randal had a chance to fight or run. Somehow he chose both. With a kick to my back as I try to turn to face after hitting the truck, he signals that he is willing to defend himself. Unfortunately for him, he has little chance of surviving this one and knowing that, he tries to run to the middle of the open intersection. It takes but a second for me to recover from his blow and dive out towards him, but find him too far to catch. I instinctively throw the billy club at him, letting the 18ft elastic cord unfurrel and stretch as if races to the back of his head. But with his speed and distance, the most damage it could do is knock him off his feet. The elastic has stretched to its maximum and had taken most of the momentum out of the club. It starts its trip back to me, as I rush to him, letting go of the elastic and timing the speed of the returning club, catching it as it was about to fly past my shoulder. I catch up to him as he laid on the ground face down, about to let him have it with the club. With the police running in circles to catch us, I raise the bully club to crack his skull open. He suddenly turns around from under me and starts shooting me with his service weapon. 4 shots, and I manage to dodge them all out, diving to his left. The police freeze at their spots and dive for cover, pulling out their service weapons. Randal manages to get up onto his hands and knees as I roll back up onto my feet with considerable distance between us. With gun drawn, he has the aim to take me out, but hesitates for one second. I figure that he has at least 12 more shots in his 9mm service weapon, and at least 12 more chances to put an end to this madness bbetween us, if he was to be so lucky. With 12 feet between us, it is double my striking range, but I throw all chances to the wind and dive for him, with the club waiting to swing at him to strike. He takes aim at me and releases a volley of bullets that follow my path, which all miss but strikes a couple of awaiting cars in the intersection. Panicked, several cars screech across the intersection to get out of the way. Whether he is keeping count or not, I counted another 6 shots he had fired, reducing his chances of hitting me by half. As I fly towards him, he reacts to get out of the way. I miss him with just inches to spare, needing to tumble roll to recover back on my feet. He starts to run to the other side of the entrance of the Brooklyn Bridge and towards the park and nearby court houses. I quickly follow suit along with a police officers that were there. From the park comes back up that the police had called, forcing Randal to make a dash down the street and towards the court houses. But the court officers there were also about to join in the the fun, as they were running the intersection armed and loaded. Seeing this, Randal takes a wide u-turn to throw us all off, into the path of bridge-bound traffic which has already started to move once again. As I run towards him, I wrap up the elastic band around the bully club blindly, not caring of it was a sloppy job just to get it out of the way. I quickly follow suit and and dive into the flow of cars heading into the bridge. He manages to get back onto Tillary Street once again and under the lamppost where it all started. Both Tyrone and James were waking up to their abuses, shaking off the ringing in their skulls. Randal gets by them and quickly gets them up and all three run back into the courtyard of the Tillary Street Projects. As they run, I stop by the lamppost and see them to where they were running, ducking into a building, their building. At least now I know which building is where they live. The cops gather around the intersection corner where I was at, giving me orders to freeze. Instead I give the lamppost a hard kick to shake of violently, knocking my belonging off the light fixture and onto my awaiting hands. Once captured, I make an attempt onto the traffic of the bridge and hop onto the back of a passing truck to make a quick get-a-way. All the cops could do is just stand there and do nothing as I ride the truck onto the bridge. Once on the bridge, traffic slows down to a stand still, allowing me to get off the truck and climb back onto the pedistrian walk way, where I walk back onto Brooklyn, taking the Cadman Street exit instead of the Adams Street exit. A couple of more blocks down on Cadman, I turn on Montegue Street and walk to the Promidard. I take the nearest bench there and sit down, taking a light nap under the shade of a tree. Here, for the moment, I can rest for a while, and let all this engery go into the ether of the universe. Though I have failed in getting Randal, he know knows that I am back again and mean to finish the job that he had started. For us, there will always be another chance for us to fight again. # August 2nd, 10:30am. I walk around the back of Brooklyn Tech where the handball courts were from Ft. Green to the other side onto South Elliot Street, walking down South Elliot towards DeKalb on the Building's East side knowing that I would meet up with the group. I continue onward, pretending that nothing had happened, and tapping the cane in front of me to belie any rumours that might be floating about me. As if on cue, the Shortfellows were there, including Juanita(Gloria), just a few feet off the corner, talking amoungst themselves. With Juanita(Gloria) being there- I shut out all connections of my mind to her and anyone else would be able to pick up telepathic or even empathic signals from me. I continue onwards, pretending not to see me. They spot me, and the boys step out in front to block my way. Hitting Kevin in the foot with the cane, I stop. "What is it this time?", I ask. "What is this story that you had attacked Randal early this morning?", Raul started to say. "When? Where... hell, I dont usually wake up until after 8 o'clock and it takes me an hour to get here from where I live... what makes you think that I attacked him?", I stated. "Certain details were given, and we know that the police are after you.", Raul stated. "Let them... I got unfinished business to do at the hospital. Care to join me or get out of my way.", I tell him as I point at Brooklyn Hospital, just across the street from the school. "Hmm...", he says. "Raul... leave me alone.", I tell him. "Now, if it was not you, then who attacked Randal?", John says. "Maybe he's making it up.", I tell him. "I would believe you, but there were certain things described that can only point out that it was you.", Denise steps in. "And who's side are you on?", I ask her. "At this moment, nobody.", she answers. "Come on with me.", Jaunita(Gloria) grabs my arm and puls me away from the group to the fence that surrounds the school. The others stand their ground and watch us from the few feet that separates us. "I know you did it, and I know that you failed. You know that he's going to try to kill you again.", she tells me. "I did not do it, Jaunita. Now if he has made a promise to you, he's looking for excuses to break that promise. Dont you think?", I said to her. "Dont block me out of your head, Fernando. I was there this morning, in the dreamscape we share.", she says. "It was not me.", I tell her. "Then care to explain where were you this morning?", she asked. "I was at home, alright?", I tell her. "Dont lie to me, Fernando.", she says. Suddenly the boys gather around us, yet the girls stand their ground by the curb. Cathy and her sisters had just appeared out of nowhere from around the corner, and onto DeKalb where we were. They take a couple of steps towards us and stop. "I want to see him.", Cathy demanded. "You're in no position to demand anything...", Raul stated. "Raul... Get the fuck out of the way...", I tell him. "And who's going to make me?", he asks, before he finds himself sitting flat on his ass a few feet away from us. "I am.", I tell him before I push hard him onto the ground. He stays there for the moment, as Cathy steps to where he was to face me. "What the fuck you did this morning?", Cathy yells at me. "You too think that I attacked Randal, and you actually believe it?", I ask. "Who else would it be?", she asks at the top of her lungs. "It was not me.", I tell her. "Dont lie to me, Fernando... you of all people... dont lie to me...", Cathy says on the verge of crying. "If I did attacked him, he would be dead right now. Dont you think that he might be lying to start another one of his schemes to get at all of us?", I ask. "Look- you better get out of here while you still can, cause he's going to be here in a couple of minutes to pick me up, and he promised to finish where you left off.", she says. "Finish where I left off? Like all this was my fault?", I says, wanting to laugh. "Really- who shot who a few weeks ago? Who was in the hopsital for almost 4 weeks? Who was almost killed- by the other's hand.", I added. They all remain in silence as they stare at me for an answer that they will not get from me. From behind us he arrives silently and without warning, standing behind us all. I can sense his presence behind us, as can Jaunita(Gloria), and Cathy's sisters see him as they face us. As the silence grew between us all, he speaks. "Leave this area, Catherine. Now...", Randal says. "She's not leaving.", Jaunita(Gloria) says as she steps in front of Cathy. But Randal grabs her by the arm and throws her to the other girls by the curb. "You just fucked up...", I tell him as I turn to him, only to meet a harder than normal fist strike my jaw, forcing me to twist around and grab onto the school fence to hold myself up with it. Randal can be heard cursing as he shakes his fist as if he had broken it, and with such force he hit me with he might have if it were not for the brass knuckles he was wearing. Only one other person would have survived such an attack, and John was just a couple of feet behind me, about to jump in. I reach back to keep John and any one else from jumping in, though dizzy from the blow he had given me, anger begins to set in, and Red Eyes starts to emerge but slowly and under control. Still holding onto the fence, I gather my balance and clench my fist as I stare at him as he holds onto his fist by the wrist between his knees. Then he looks down and realizes that I was not laying on the floor from the blow he had given me, and starts to look up at me. The second I let him have it with my fist, I could have sworn I heard him say "Uh Oh.." in a very soft and sorryful voice. I strike him harder with a force that only Red Eyes can give, just like he had struck me- across and down onto his jaw. A loud snapping and cracking noise can be heard when impact of my fist to his face was made, and he falls to the floor like a broken toy. He lays there out cold, with a lot of blood coming out of his mouth. I step out of the way of the crowd and start walking down DeKalb Avenue, with Cathy in and her sisters in tow along with Jaunita(Gloria). The others stayed behind watching Randal's body crumpled laying upon the floor in disbelief, with Raul repeatedly yelling, "OH SHIT! HE KILLED HIM!" Fortunately for everyone, I did not kill him. Lucky for him that Red Eyes does not continue the attack once the assailant has been nuetralized, as often is the case, one punch is required. I have only made it 1/2 a block before John runs up to catch up with me and tries to stop me. "Yo Gutich, Wait Up!", he says out loud as he steps in front of me. "What it is.", I tell him sternly. "Yo...", as he looks back at the group and then at me, "...I'm impressed." "Impressed with what?", as I tried to take another step around him. I managed a couple of steps before he steps in front of me again. "You finally took him out.", he says. Cathy and her sisters stand behind him, blocking everyway possible to step out and escape. Juaunita(Gloria) covers the rear. "Its not the first time I took him out.", I tell him as I look to the others. "Its not?", he asks. "No, its not.", Cathy tells him. The others started to leave the area to catch up with us, as I turn around to look for a way to get by. "Look, lets get out of here.", I began to tell them, trying to step through them. Cathy and her sisters step aside a bit for me to get by. I started to walk through when the others catch up, all trying to get my attention which I try to ignore. Another block of distance and another attempt to stop me, this time being Jaunita(Gloria). She steps in front of me and turns around to face me, stopping in her tracks. I stop to avoid running into her, as does the group of which ends up encircling me again. "Fernando- you know you now made it dangerous for Cathy to ever go back to her husband.", she saids. "I made it dangerous? I swear, maybe I should back there and finish the job of killing him.", I tell her. "Fernando!", she yells, as she slaps me. I hold back, though the stinging pain was made worse by Randal's attempt of taking offf my head, for she hit me on the same spot. I clench my jaw tightly, nearly grinding my teeth for just a second and then relax, remaining silent. I try to step back and break away from the group, meeting resistance from the girls mainly, and Raul being an idiot. Giving up, I step back against the building's exterior and lean upon the wall. "Yeah Guitch, you have made this situation worse...", the other Jaunita tried to say before I interupted her. "Who just approached who and tried to take the other one's head off?", I asked of her. "But he was retaliating to what you did this morning!", Denise stated out loud. "What's wrong with you people- I did not do it.", I tell them. "Then who did?", Jaunita(Gloria) asks. "Frankly, I dont care who did it. All I know is that it was not me.", I tell her. She steps up to me and looks into my eyes through my dark glasses, "Then how about openning up your mind and let me see the truth." "I got a really nasty headache, and letting you in will give you that headache.", I tell her. "Yeah, after a punch like that to the jaw, I would have a headache too.", Raul makes a snide remark, which is immediately followed by me giving him a hard punch to his midsection. He doubles over in pain, trying to remain standing but failing in the attempt. "Fernando...", Jaunita(Gloria) almost yells as she pushes me back against the wall. "How about letting me go so I can go to work.", I tell them. "Oh no, you're not getting away with that excuse.", Jaunita(Gloria) says. "No, wait.... let him go.", Cathy says. "Wha...?", Jaunita(Gloria) says to her. "Let him go, we can always meet him there.", Cathy saids. "I'm not going there to work, just to clear up some paper work...", I tell them. "And where you be after that?", Cathy asks. "Frankly, thats none of your business, but I really dont know, or dont care at this point.", I tell them. "You're not going to take care of your girls?", Cathy said. "Actually, they all went to camp, so they are not there.", I explained to her. "How convienant.", Denise says. "Go fuck yourself Denise...", I tell her. "Oh! You heard that John...?", she complains to her boyfriend. "And want you want me to do about it?", John asks, almost wanting to laugh. "Why I never!!!", Denise says out loud, almost wanting to walk away but Jaunita stands besides her in order not to leave. "Maybe Guitch is right...", John started to say, "Maybe somebody else attacked Randal and is blaming him for it. How many enemies does Randal has...?" "A lot...", Kevin says. "No, not really...", Cathy says. "Huh?", the boys stated towards her. "Randal has a way of eliminating enemies before they get too invovled...", Cathy started to say. "So he has none...?", Kevin asks. "But where Fernando is invovled, he has failed.", Jaunita(Gloria) stated. "We can see why...", John saids. "Enough...", I tell them. Everyone turns to me as if I gathered all their attention with that one statement. "Let him go...", Cathy then saids. Most seem to want to argue the point against letting me go, but eventually comply, allowing me to step aside and walk away from them. "Now what?", Jaunita(Gloria) asks. "We to go the pool...", Cathy says. # August 2, 12:30pm I make it to Jefferson Pool later than I would have expected. Delays on the train was at fault, though many do not seem to care about excuses as I get the typical yelling from the second in charge: Corythian. But he seems to have forgotten that I an excused from work until 'I felt better.' After the yelling, I go over to the main office where Jose was filling out paperwork to take care of my own paper work dealing with my absences and other responsibilities. After a 1/2 hour of filling out applications and having various discussions with Jose, he takes all of my paperwork and rips them before tossing it into the garbage. "Why you did that for?", I complained loudly. "Look, Fernando- this paperwork would have messed you up in the long term. Instead, I have been clocking you in as if you were here, and dealing with the shortage with some creative personel shifting. Now, I did this because I want you here next year, and the following years but that cant happen if these papers were to have been filed downtown. You understand my position?", Jose explains. "I think I do.", I tell him, though unsure as to why. "Good. Now I need the Pit to be openned later today. You think you can handle that?", he asks. "Uhm... I would have to run home and get my gear together first.", I answered. "You got an hour, make that 90 minutes- go get your gear and lunch, then we'll open the pit.", he says. "Alright.", I said. He nods back at me. I then get up and leave the office and out the main gate to go home. Once at home, I gather a few things together and stuff them into my lifeguard bag along with my towel, bathsuit and other required things. Walking through the block between my home and the pool, I pass by Grace's job at the Day Care Center. She was out in the play area with the other counsilors and the little children as I walked by. Normally I would walk by the fence and say hello, but I did not this time as I walked around the community center. Grace had walked around and through the community center as I walked past its main entrance towards my way to the pool. She steps out of the doorway and runs towards me and stops in front of me. "Hi... its a little late to be going to work, isn't it?", she asks. "Actually, well, Jose wants me to be there as soon as I can get there.", I explain to her. "Well, you can be a little late then. We need to talk.", she says to me. "Can it wait, maybe after work?", I ask. "You know my grandmother wont allow it, and your grandmother is the same way.", she explains. "It does not have to be at either of our places, you know. Just wait for me after work, that all.", I tell her. "Why cant we talk now?", she asks. "You got your job to do and I have mine.... you know.", I tried to explain. She hestitantly steps back away from me, "Alright, I'll wait for you at the pool when I get off work." "OK.", I responded. She quickly disappears inside the community center to return to her charges, and I take the steps to go to the pool across the street. Once inside, I change in the lockerroom, and secure my belongings. Taking my towel around my shoulders, I step out onto the deck and walk to the Pit. Stepping next to my life gaurd station, I put my towel and glasses on the seat and climb onto the railing that surrounds the Pit, balancing myself on the top rail. "Welcome back seal.", Polar Bear says from behind me. For somebody so large, he can move around so quietly. "Thank you.", I started to say in kind as I reached for one of the Life Guard station chair's long legs. "Its good to be back." "Openning the Pit?", he then asks. "Yeah, Jose wants me too.", I explain in answer. "I'll get the others into their position.", he then stated. "No... dont.", I started to say. "Why not? You cant run the pit by yourself.", he returns. "I can open the Pit, but that does not means that anyone has to be swimming in it.", I answer to him. "I think he wants people in it. We cant have this pool open and a life guard manning it and no body swimming in it.", Polar Bear explains. "I see.", I answers. "I'll get the others in place.", he said, "You just sit up there and pretend to rule the world or what ever you think you do up there." "Just give me five minutes.", I ask of him before diving into the water. I head down to the grating, but find it too painful to continue from half way down so I head back up. It feels like an ice pick is being shoved into my right eye. I break the water's surface, shaking my head and yelling to Polar Bear cancel the call. Slowly I make it to the edge of the pool and sit on the edge, hunched over with my closed fist against my right eye. "Are you alright Seal?", he asks. "Its just my eye- it hurts like hell when I got 1/2 way down.", I tell him. "Oh my... then we cant open the Pit then.", he says. He then reaches over the railing to help me up. I blindly take his hand and get up, standing, leaning over the railing with my fist still at my eye. "Let me see your eye.", he says as he pulls at my wrist to get my fist out from my eye. As much as I want to fight back, I give in and let him look at it. He can see how red it was- as if somebody painted the white of the scelera with bright red paint. "We need to put some ice on it.", he says. "I'll be fine.", I tell him. "Not with your eye like that you're not.", he says. "Just let me rest for a bit. I'll be fine.", as I climbed over the railing and takng my towel and glasses off the seat of the life guard station before I started back to the locker room. Once inside the lockerroom, I sat on a bench by my locker. After a while of solitude, Jose comes in with the nurse from First Aide. The nurse bends down in front of me with a small flashlight in her hand. "Fernando, lets check out that eye.", Jose says. I look up towards him, only to have the nurse flash the light into my eye. It hurt intensly for a short second, which by relfex, I pull away from her. "Oh my, this does not look good.", the nurse said. "Stay still for Lynn to look at it, Fernando.", Jose almost orders me. I try to sit up and still for the nurse to look at the eye. She looks at the eye, shining the light into it momentarily to see how it reacts. "Have you had a doctor look at it?", Nurse Lynn asks. "A regular doctor looked at it, but not my eye-doctor.", I explained. "I see. No pool duty for you until you bring a note from your eye doctor saying you can go swimming again.", she says. "LYNN!!... Its Just hurts a little bit. Its getting better.", I complain. "Look- your eye is filled with blood, and it needs the care that only a specialist can give. Until then, I'm going to have to restrict your activities that would further injure your eye.", Nurse Lynn stated. "Alright then... Damn it I swear.", I complained. "Now pack your things, Fernando. You're going to see your eye doctor now.", Jose says. "No, I cant go...", I complain. "Why not?", he asks. "Grace will be here after work.", I tell him. "Grace can wait in my office while you're gone.", he tells me. "Damn it all to hell.", I tell him. "You go now or I'll have to fire you for being incapable of doing your job for health reasons.", he tells me. "You wouldn't dare.", I tell him. "This pool was here before you came here and it will be here long after you leave.", he tells me. "Alright I'll go then.", I tell him to get him off my back. "And dont return without a note from him to clear you of your injury.", he says. I refuse to respond. "Now start getting dressed before the eye doctor's office closes and you wont be abe to return to work until you get that note.", he tells me. "Alright, I'll go.", I reply. "Good. Now when I get back here, you better be gone and on your way.", he says as he starts to step out the room, with Lynn right behind him. I sit up on the bench almost not wanting to go. In fact, I was almost willing to give up the job and leave the city once and for all. Eventually, I gather my belongings and get dressed. Dr. Zigman & Dr. Schwartz's office was just a couple of block away on 116 street near Third Avenue, where I did not find it strange that they were already expecting me to be there for a total eye exam. Not wanting to be there, I did my best to be as cooperative as possible; as they both looked into my right eye with various instruments and poured who knows what solutions onto it. After about an hour of examination, Dr. Zigman sits by the desk and writes a note as he explains to me of the condiction I already knew. Besides the note, I was also given several tubes of various eye drops for me to use when I do my job at the pool. With note in hand, I leave the optomistrists' office and head back to work. # |