Saving Lois
started from the mind of Heather
(Heather)
The excited chatter of little voices always made Lois smile, and today was no exception. Lois made her way over to the front window in her home as quickly as her feeble legs could carry her. Children in brand new outfits chosen specially for this day, with brightly colored backpacks and eager expressions on their freshly scrubbed faces were being shepherded across the street by anxious and excited looking parents. Cars were driving at a snail’s pace, waiting for their chance to turn into the parking lot, while older children in vibrant yellow vests were acting as crossing guards. It was a scene of joyful mayhem and excited nerves.
The first day of school, at last.
The summer months always seemed to drag by so slowly, with only brief glimpses of children on their bikes, or if she was lucky, a family would descend on the playground for an afternoon picnic. Lois loved to watch the children play from her front window. Her recliner was positioned in a way to not only best catch the light streaming through it while she read from her vast collection of books, but to also have a lovely vantage point looking out across her front lawn, and across the street at Edison Elementary School.
Lois had taught at that very school for over thirty years. Sometimes she taught the older classes, but her favorites were the young ones, just learning to read. She especially loved to watch the transformation the children made as they discovered an entire new world opening to them, through the joy of reading.
It had nearly killed Lois to leave her position at the school, but she had had too many health issues and it was getting increasingly difficult for her to stand for any length of time. That was twenty years ago. It seemed like a lifetime ago now. Either that, or just yesterday.
When Lois and her husband Benny bought this house over fifty years before, they felt that it was the perfect location, across the street from the neighborhood school. They had a little boy, Henry, who learned to walk out in the front lawn. Lois loved the idea of sending little Henry to school across the street and waiting for him in the front drive when school got out. He never made it to school, however. Fate had other plans.
The summer Henry turned three, he became very ill. Doctors determined that he had contracted an aggressive form of polio. It hit his little body so swiftly that none of the treatments did any good. He was gone within two weeks.
The months after Henry’s passing were very difficult for Lois and Benny. Everything reminded them of their little boy and the things he would never do. When children began pouring back into the school in early fall, Lois mourned the loss over again, the heart-wrenching truth that Henry would never be one of those beaming faces making his way across the street.
For years they tried to have more children, but Lois was never able to carry another pregnancy to term. Instead, she satisfied her maternal need by adopting the children she taught every day. And she was just as beloved to those kids as they were necessary to her heart.
The sudden loss of Benny was eased through her work, but that was thirty years ago. She now no longer had work to keep her occupied. But the school still stood there, a reassuring presence in her world of grief and loss. It had undergone multiple face-lifts over the years, the last of which took half a year to complete. But it was still the same school.
Lois stood eagerly at the window now, watching as the noisy procession made their way across the street. She spotted a small boy, who looked like he would topple over from the weight and size of his Spiderman backpack strapped on his back. Lois chuckled to herself. She watched as they waited at the crosswalk. His mother, who was holding his hand, leaned in to give him a kiss and a reassuring smile. It must be his first day of kindergarten, Lois thought. He was so small.
Suddenly and without reason, the boy shifted his position in a way that made him face Lois’ house. He stood there, looking toward her standing in the window. The crossing guard motioned for their group to cross the street, so his mother gently tugged him forward with her hand in his. He remained rooted to the spot. Finally a smile bloomed across his face and he gave an energetic wave toward the old woman standing on the other side of the glass.
It was so unexpected that Lois didn’t respond for a moment. It was a moment too long, because the boy relented to his mother’s pull and turned toward the street before she was able to reciprocate the greeting. She waved to his retreating back, his little brown head barely peeking out over the top of the Spiderman backpack.
A choking sigh escaped Lois’ lips as she eased herself onto her recliner. He had looked so much like Henry. The flood of memories of her own little brown-haired boy running in the grass almost overtook her. The difficulty with old age is that what occurred many years ago has a tendency to feel like it was yesterday. She could remember with such clarity her life as a young mother, whereas last week seemed like only a blur.
Lois decided that she would stay in her recliner until it was time for her little Henry to leave the school, then she would be ready to greet him. She couldn’t disappoint her sweet boy by not being at the end of the drive to welcome him home.
(Frances)
Dong. Dong. Dong. Lois woke abruptly from her nap to the chiming of the grandfather clock Benny had given her on their 25th wedding anniversary. She looked at the clock and realized it was 11:00 already. Time had passed quickly. Kindergartners would be getting out of school soon. She got out of her chair and went to the back door where she kept her pail of gardening supplies. She picked it up and headed out the front door. Lois wanted to see the little boy who had waved to her this morning and looked so much like her own little Henry but she needed a reason to be waiting out in her front yard. Gardening was her reason and besides, the front flower bed really did need weeding.
Lois sat down on the retaining wall she and Benny had built a long time ago and began pulling weeds. She kept her hands busy pulling weeds but her eyes were mostly following the mothers walking up to the front of the school. She didn’t want to miss her little Henry and his mama if she could help it. Her mind began to drift while her hands continued to pull weeds. She saw herself as she had been as a young woman and pictured herself walking up to the school with her own little Henry in tow. How she wished she’d gotten the chance to do that, among so many other things. She shook her head to bring her back into the present and wiped the tear off her cheek that had managed to escape. She looked up at the school and there were lots of children and their parents walking down the sidewalk or getting in their cars. Some cars were already easing out of the parking lot and she knew she had to stay alert if she were to see the little boy who looked so much like Henry.
Lois watched the crosswalk where a little girl was being directed by her mother to look both ways so they could cross the street. The little girl looked right at Lois, then looked the other direction and then looked back at Lois again. The little girl gave a little wave at Lois and then crossed the street with her mother. Lois was startled but gave a little wave back. When the little girl saw her return her wave, she began waving exuberantly until her mother looked at Lois. She gave a little wave too and they continued down the street. Lois continued to watch the crosswalk and almost every child who crossed gave her a wave. She waved back, not questioning her good fortune and enjoying every minute of it. She had even forgotten to keep weeding.
When little Henry came to the crosswalk, he looked right in her direction and gave a big wave. Lois stood up and waved at him. She wanted to make sure he knew she was waving at him. The little boy pulled on his mother’s arm and she leaned down to talk to him. He kept pointing at Lois and pulling on his mother’s hand. She stood up with a little shrug in her shoulder and the little boy and his mother crossed the street and headed in her direction. She hoped that meant they were coming to say hello to her.
As they approached, the mother awkwardly said, “Hi, my name is Julie and this is my son Johnny. We just wanted to come by and say hello. I hope we aren’t bothering you in any way.”
“Oh, that is so nice of you. I love to meet new people. My name is Mrs. Smith or Lois, either one will work for me. So, it’s Johnny, huh?” Lois asked.
He nodded his head. Now that he was here in front of Lois he was all shyness.
Julie nudged Johnny. “It’s your chance to say hello Johnny. Say hello.”
“Hello,” said Johnny.
“It’s nice to meet you. Did you have a good first day of school?” Lois asked.
And that’s all it took for Johnny to open up and tell her all about the first day of school and all the cool things they got to do. He explained just about every minute of the day so that they were there listening to Johnny for about fifteen minutes.
“Well, it’s probably time for us to go Johnny. Mrs. Smith probably needs to get back to her gardening,” said Julie.
“Nonsense,” said Lois, “the weeds will always be there but I won’t always have you two to visit with but I’m sure you have things to do.”
“We should probably be going,” said Julie.
“But can we come back tomorrow?” asked Johnny.
Lois couldn’t help the big smile that came to her face.
“Dear, you can’t invite yourself over to visit with other people. You can only invite them over to visit with you,” said Julie.
“Then, can she come over tomorrow Mommy?” asked Johnny.
Lois could see that Julie was getting flustered. “How about I meet you out here tomorrow after school again. I’d love to hear how your second day of school goes. I’ll even bring cookies,” said Lois.
Johnny began jumping up and down and crowing.
“Oh, that’s very nice of you Mrs. Smith, we’ll stop by but you don’t need to make cookies,” said Julie.
“Call me Lois and it’s no trouble to make cookies. In fact, it actually gives me something to do today.”
“Good-bye,” said Julie. “We’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Good-bye, good-bye, good-bye,” said Johnny as he jumped up and down while his mother held his hand.
They started walking back toward the crosswalk when Johnny pulled away from his mother and ran back to Lois.
“Can I call you Grandma ‘cause I don’t have one?” asked Johnny.
“Johnnnny!” came his mother’s startled response as she headed back towards us.
Lois waved her off and knelt down to Johnny’s level, “You know what Johnny, I would love that! I’ve never had anyone call me Grandma so you call me Grandma and come by and see me tomorrow and I’ll give you cookies. Sound like a plan?”
“Yeah! I love cookies,” said Johnny and he ran back toward his mother’s outstretched hand.
“Thanks and we’ll see you tomorrow,” waved Julie as they walked away.
Lois reached up and wiped away the tear that had managed to escape from her traitorous eye for the second time that morning.
(Thelma)
That afternoon Lois made peanut butter cookies.
The next morning she woke up and remembered about peanut allergies. “What luck!” Lois said to herself when she found some chocolate chips so she made some chocolate chip cookies too. She put the peanut butter cookies in the freezer. She imagined herself pulling them out for Johnny at a future date, after it was established that he had no peanut allergy. Lois smiled even while she tried to caution herself that it may not happen. She couldn’t help imagining what it would be like to really be a grandmother to him.
Lois sat at her perch by the front window and watched all the children come to the school. She started watching early and kept watching until ten minutes after the bell rang and didn’t see him. She was sure she hadn’t just missed him.
Maybe he was sick.
Feeling very disappointed and a little foolish to pin all her hopes on a little boy, Lois went about her morning.
Even though she didn’t think he’d be there, she carefully watched all the kindergarten children leave for the day. No Johnny.
Again she felt foolish for investing so much hope in a little boy that was really a stranger to her. Lois complete the rest of her little tasks she had for herself to create a routine. It was her day to dust and water her plants so she did both.
For the next two days she didn’t see Johnny either. She even went outside to her front yard so she would for sure not miss him. He didn’t come.
Lois was at loose ends. What had happened to Johnny? He had seemed perfectly healthy. Could he have become suddenly so ill that he had to miss several days of school? Had something happened to his mother? She alternated between telling herself that it was none of her business to letting her imagination run wild with possibilities.
She saw children leaving Friday afternoon and knew that the school would soon be empty. Friday afternoons were the quietest time at school. Everyone left as soon as they could and if any teachers were left behind to finish up their work, they weren’t in the mood to socialize. Lois decided to pay Patti a visit. Patti was the school secretary and a friend of hers. She’d been a secretary there the last ten years Lois worked there and she still stopped by sometimes after work to say hello.
Halfway across the street, Lois began to wonder if Patti would think she was a crazy old bat but it was too late, she had to know if Patti knew anything about Johnny.
“Lois!” Patti said when she saw the older woman walk down the hall, “What are you doing here? Looking for a job?”
Lois smiled sadly. It was nice to be back in the school. She missed it. When she got close to Patti’s desk, Lois asked her in a low voice, “Can I ask you a question?”
Patti looked a little alarmed, “What?” she asked in a dramatic whisper. Patti had always been a little excitable.
“It’s probably nothing,” Lois said, “And I don’t know if you can even give me this information, but I’ve met someone.”
“At your age?” Patti teased.
“Please,” Lois said, aggravated, “A little boy. On the first day of school I met a little boy Johnny and his mother. They were going to stop by the next day for cookies and I haven’t seen him since. I know I may be overreacting but I’m worried.”
“Well,” Patti looked over her shoulder, “I probably am not supposed to be discussing students with anyone but this seems harmless.”
She paused long enough that LoisI prompted her to continue, “Yes…”
“He withdrew from school. The second day of school his mother called. I remember because I thought it was so odd that someone would withdraw after the first day. Very unusual.”
“I wonder what happened?”
Patti shrugged, “Who knows. Maybe they moved? At least you know he’s not sick though. He’s just fine.”
Lois didn’t feel so sure. She thanked Patti anyway though. Lois walked back across the street to her house, unlocked her door and walked inside. The clock on the wall was ticking loudly and the house was depressingly quiet. It was more quiet than usual because now she didn’t even have the hope that she’d have a young visitor.
Benny had always teased Lois about getting too excited about things and she knew that she had gotten ahead of herself thinking that she’d suddenly have a relationship with this sweet little boy that reminded her of Henry. Realizing all of that didn’t make her feel any better though.
That night Lois was deeply asleep when she heard knocking, more like banging, on the back door. She sat up in bed, her heart racing. Who could it be? The clock on her nightstand read 12:32. Lois wondered if she should call the police and tell them she had an intruder. She didn’t have an intruder though, someone was just knocking. Lois slipped out of bed and grabbed her nearby robe and wrapped it around herself. She crept down the hall toward the kitchen and could see the silhouette of someone through the small window at the top of the door. It looked like a woman which made her feel a little less frightened. Lois walked up to the door and called through the door, “Who is it?” She tried to make her voice sound strong and not terrified but she didn’t think she’d succeeded.
“It’s Julie,” came the answer, “Julie and...Johnny. Please, can we come in?”
Johnny?
Her fingers fumbled as Lois unlocked the door and swung it open. Julie was standing there and Johnny was beside her. They both looked frightened. “Come in,” Lois said, “Come in.”
“I’m so sorry to bother you,” Julie stammered, “I’m really sorry. I didn’t know where to go. I just panicked. Johnny said we should go to the grandmother’s house and I remembered you. I’m so sorry, I just didn’t know what else to do. We’re in trouble.”
(JoLyn)
Lois clutched her robe tightly closed at the neck. Trouble? She guessed trouble was about the only reason people who were practically strangers would come knocking just past midnight. What kind of trouble though? Lois motioned Julie farther into the room and turned on the lamp on the side table. The look on Julie’s face in the soft light told her this was not trouble of the “my hot water heater burst or my car broke down in your neighborhood” variety. Lois was going to have to make a decision right then, before she knew details of how serious things were. It was either accept the mother and son or deny them help and send them on their way right now.
Lois straightened up as best she could and laid a hand on Julie’s arm, but addressed Johnny who was hiding behind his mother’s legs. “Well Johnny, it looks like you’ve come to the right place for cookies, but it’s a little late for sweets tonight. How about we fix you up a place to sleep and I bet your mom will let you have some cookies tomorrow.” Johnny didn’t say anything, but he did nod almost imperceptibly. He would not let go of his mother’s legs. “Come on upstairs, you two. I haven’t had anyone sleep over in ages. I’ll have to move some boxes off the bed in the guest room.” She motioned for Julie to climb the stairs. “Second door on your left. I’m right behind you.” Julie picked up the tired Johnny and began the climb as Lois returned to the kitchen and slid the deadbolt into place. As she clicked off the lamp, Lois wondered what she had just dove headlong into.
With Julie’s help the spare bed was soon ready. When Lois suggested that they set up a cot in the sewing room for Johnny, Julie assured her that Johnny would quickly want to be in her bed anyway. Lois nodded her understanding. It was just as well; the sewing room had been Henry’s bedroom before she converted it. She wasn’t sure how she felt about another child sleeping in there--even one as sweet as Johnny. As Julie removed the shoes from the sleeping Johnny she whispered, “I know you want to know what’s going on.”
Lois held up her hand. “What I do know is that you need some sleep tonight and that explanations can wait until morning.”
Lois left Julie and returned to her bedroom. She wasn’t much of a heavy sleeper--more of an all day cat-napper really--and Lois knew she would have trouble sleeping tonight. She thought of Benny’s gun hidden on the top shelf of what used to be his side of the closet. That gun hadn’t been touched in 30 years. Lois couldn’t remember the last time she’d even thought of it. Benny would go target shooting occasionally and had even gone on a few hunting trips with his pals, but she had never cared to learn anything about the gun. She eventually nodded off to sleep pondering if a gun needed to be cleaned after 30 years if it hadn’t been used in that whole time. Her dreams that night were not restful.
Lois chided herself when she arose, still exhausted the next morning. Why had she been focused on the gun last night? There was probably nothing nefarious at all here. Maybe they had been evicted or one of them had been diagnosed with a disease. Oh, those are bad too, Lois thought. She tried to turn her brain off and focus on her regular routine. Normally, at this time of day, Stella would watch from her window as the school began to buzz with activity, but today was a Saturday.
Julie and Johnny continued to sleep as the minutes ticked away. She had made scrambled eggs, anticipating that the two would make an appearance any minute, but the food was now cold. Lois rose from the table and cleared the plates. Maybe Julie and Johnny were going to stay upstairs all day, scared they would be spotted through the big picture window. Maybe she should close her curtains. But no, her curtains were always open at this time of day. Someone would think something was wrong--maybe even check on her. Surely it was better to act normal and play it safe. Lois wasn’t used to this type of intrigue; to be honest, it was exhausting. “Even the excitable Patti would be better suited to this than I am,” Lois thought.
Lois was starting to work herself into a tizzy when Julie peeked her head over the banister and ruefully smiled at Lois. She tiptoed down and settled into an armchair in the front room when Lois offered it to her. “Would you like some breakfast, dear? Maybe something hot to drink?”
Julie shook her head. “No, thank you. I’d love some later, though. But right now, I have to tell you what’s going on.”
Lois agreed. She really did need to know what was going on before all the imagined possibilities gave her a heart attack. Sometimes one horrific reality is easier to deal with than countless prospects swarming around like biting flies. At least one reality gives you the opportunity to focus on a solution--no matter how bad things are.
Julie started haltingly, but soon found Lois to be a sympathetic listener. She let a lot of what she had kept bottled up come flowing out. “Johnny’s dad, Tony, has a really good heart, but he makes a lot of bad decisions. He owes people money. There was some kind of venture that he never quite explained to me. It didn’t pan out and now people want their money back. He disappeared a couple of months ago, saying he was leaving to keep us safe. He hasn’t contacted me since. He said the less we know, the better. He said it’s for our own good, but I’m wondering if maybe he’s forgotten all about us. But now, we’re being threatened unless he comes up with the money and I have no way of reaching him. They think I know where he is.”
“They’ve been casing our apartment for days and I was scared to leave. Last night I saw them in the parking lot with a crowbar and then I heard them messing around with the lock on the front door. Johnny and I were able to make it out the patio door before they broke in. We hid out on our neighbor’s patio for a while. Finally we shimmied down the railings and made our way here. As we ran away, I could see the guy silhouetted in my rocking chair, just waiting for us to come home.”
(Heather)
Lois caught her breath. This was bad. These men could have potentially followed Julie and Johnny to her house. They could even be sitting outside right now, waiting for their chance to attack.
“Have you gone to the police?” Lois asked, hoping that at least law enforcement was involved at this point.
“Yes, right after they first contacted me. I was afraid of what they might do to us, so I went to the police,” Julie nodded emphatically. “The police asked a lot of questions, but said there was nothing they could do at that point. I had only received a threatening phone call. There was nothing they could do with that alone. And I didn’t know where Tony was or what he was involved in.”
“Well, they can certainly do something now,” Lois said gravely. “These men are in your home, threatening you. We must tell the police.”
“But…” Julie started, then looked down at her hands sheepishly. “I am afraid if we bring the police in, then Tony might get into trouble. I don’t know what he owes these people money for. I don’t even know if what he was doing was legal. What if he goes to jail because I went to the police? I don’t know if I could live with myself if that happened.”
Lois reached her frail-looking, wrinkled hand across and rested it on Julie’s arm. Julie was surprised with how strong that hand felt. Not only was it warm and comforting, but there was a firm resolution implied in its strength.
“Julie, what happens with Tony is yet to be seen, but right now you must think of Johnny. You must protect him. I am sure that Tony will want you to protect his son at all cost, no matter what the outcome is with himself.”
Julie nodded, with tears running down her face. Then, wiping them away resolutely she said, “Let’s go. Let’s get these men out of my house for good.”
About an hour later, the three of them were walking into the downtown precinct. Julie looked quite pale, and Johnny didn’t look much better. He was holding onto his mother’s leg as they walked into the building, darting behind her anytime they approached someone new. It broke Lois’s heart to see the young boy so frightened.
Instinctively, Lois clutched her large handbag close to her chest. Before they had left the house, Lois had pulled a chair over to her closet to unearth her husband’s large handgun. She carefully loaded it and placed it deep in the bottom of her bag. She figured that she most likely wouldn’t be needing it, especially going to the police station, but it made her feel a little more confident as she took the mother and son out her back door and into the separate, dark garage that housed her faded blue 1967 Oldsmobile. Once inside the car, she felt much better. Even if someone was laying in wait for them outside her house, they would have a hard time attacking them now that they were securely within this steel tank of a car.
Lois sat with Johnny in the waiting area of the police station, giving Julie some privacy as she described her situation to a young lieutenant seated at a small desk, overflowing with folders and paperwork. He asked a number of questions, jotting down some notes, then motioned Julie toward the waiting room. Lois was pleased to see by his face that he was taking Julie’s case seriously. He immediately picked up his phone and started making several calls.
“They are going to the apartment to check it out,” Julie said in a low voice. She still looked pale, with wide, frightened eyes, and her hands were compulsively smoothing down the front of her skirt. “He said that we should wait here while they go to the apartment.”
Lois nodded her approval. Soon this would be all over.
About thirty minutes later the same lieutenant came over to where they were sitting.
“I’m sorry, ma’am, but there was no one there at your apartment. It did look, however, like it was forcefully broken into. The front door jam is broken and, unless you typically live with all your drawers and closets turned inside out, it appears they did a pretty thorough search of the residence. Our men are still at the scene investigating. I recommend you go to your friend’s house and stay there until we contact you with any information.”
He looked imploringly at Julie, but she seemed to wither more into herself and couldn’t give a response.
“Thank you, Officer,” Lois offered, standing up firmly. “I think that would be for the best. We appreciate all that you are doing for us.”
“If you think of anything that could help us out with the investigation, please don’t hesitate to call,” he said, looking to Julie and then pointedly to Lois. The lieutenant gave a grim smile to Johnny and ruffled his hair as he turned and walked away.
“Well, there’s no reason to be sitting here in these terrible chairs. I didn’t think my back could take it much longer anyway,” Lois said, reaching her hand down to Johnny. “Let’s go and make us some lunch. Something tells me that a big bowl of chicken soup would do a lot of good right now.” On seeing Johnny’s face light up hungrily, she added, “And a few cookies wouldn’t hurt, either.”
They all walked across the street to the parking garage that they had parked in, Johnny skipping excitedly ahead. Julie seemed torn between helping the slower older woman as she crossed the street, and keeping up with her boy. She opted to take Lois’s arm and called after her son.
“Hold on, Johnny! Wait for us!” But he was already rounding the corner into the garage. “Johnny!”
Lois chuckled at his boundless energy. “If only I could move that quickly,” she sighed.
“Don’t feel too badly,” Julie said. “I can hardly keep up with him myself.”
“They grow too quickly,” Lois said, shaking her head. “One minute they are small and completely dependant on you, and the next they are gone…” Her voice trailed off as she remembered her own little boy with boundless energy, and the fact that he would never come back.
Suddenly Lois jolted to a stop.
“Henry! We have to save Henry!” her voice nearly broke as she suppressed a sob, and tried to move into the garage as quickly as she could.
Julie followed behind her, confused about the sudden change in Lois’ demeanor. As she rounded the corner, however, her breath caught in her throat and it seemed like the world had suddenly come to an abrupt and terrible stop.
Johnny stood in the center of the garage, a knife angled dangerously against his throat, and his captor sneering at the two women with an ugly grin.
The excited chatter of little voices always made Lois smile, and today was no exception. Lois made her way over to the front window in her home as quickly as her feeble legs could carry her. Children in brand new outfits chosen specially for this day, with brightly colored backpacks and eager expressions on their freshly scrubbed faces were being shepherded across the street by anxious and excited looking parents. Cars were driving at a snail’s pace, waiting for their chance to turn into the parking lot, while older children in vibrant yellow vests were acting as crossing guards. It was a scene of joyful mayhem and excited nerves.
The first day of school, at last.
The summer months always seemed to drag by so slowly, with only brief glimpses of children on their bikes, or if she was lucky, a family would descend on the playground for an afternoon picnic. Lois loved to watch the children play from her front window. Her recliner was positioned in a way to not only best catch the light streaming through it while she read from her vast collection of books, but to also have a lovely vantage point looking out across her front lawn, and across the street at Edison Elementary School.
Lois had taught at that very school for over thirty years. Sometimes she taught the older classes, but her favorites were the young ones, just learning to read. She especially loved to watch the transformation the children made as they discovered an entire new world opening to them, through the joy of reading.
It had nearly killed Lois to leave her position at the school, but she had had too many health issues and it was getting increasingly difficult for her to stand for any length of time. That was twenty years ago. It seemed like a lifetime ago now. Either that, or just yesterday.
When Lois and her husband Benny bought this house over fifty years before, they felt that it was the perfect location, across the street from the neighborhood school. They had a little boy, Henry, who learned to walk out in the front lawn. Lois loved the idea of sending little Henry to school across the street and waiting for him in the front drive when school got out. He never made it to school, however. Fate had other plans.
The summer Henry turned three, he became very ill. Doctors determined that he had contracted an aggressive form of polio. It hit his little body so swiftly that none of the treatments did any good. He was gone within two weeks.
The months after Henry’s passing were very difficult for Lois and Benny. Everything reminded them of their little boy and the things he would never do. When children began pouring back into the school in early fall, Lois mourned the loss over again, the heart-wrenching truth that Henry would never be one of those beaming faces making his way across the street.
For years they tried to have more children, but Lois was never able to carry another pregnancy to term. Instead, she satisfied her maternal need by adopting the children she taught every day. And she was just as beloved to those kids as they were necessary to her heart.
The sudden loss of Benny was eased through her work, but that was thirty years ago. She now no longer had work to keep her occupied. But the school still stood there, a reassuring presence in her world of grief and loss. It had undergone multiple face-lifts over the years, the last of which took half a year to complete. But it was still the same school.
Lois stood eagerly at the window now, watching as the noisy procession made their way across the street. She spotted a small boy, who looked like he would topple over from the weight and size of his Spiderman backpack strapped on his back. Lois chuckled to herself. She watched as they waited at the crosswalk. His mother, who was holding his hand, leaned in to give him a kiss and a reassuring smile. It must be his first day of kindergarten, Lois thought. He was so small.
Suddenly and without reason, the boy shifted his position in a way that made him face Lois’ house. He stood there, looking toward her standing in the window. The crossing guard motioned for their group to cross the street, so his mother gently tugged him forward with her hand in his. He remained rooted to the spot. Finally a smile bloomed across his face and he gave an energetic wave toward the old woman standing on the other side of the glass.
It was so unexpected that Lois didn’t respond for a moment. It was a moment too long, because the boy relented to his mother’s pull and turned toward the street before she was able to reciprocate the greeting. She waved to his retreating back, his little brown head barely peeking out over the top of the Spiderman backpack.
A choking sigh escaped Lois’ lips as she eased herself onto her recliner. He had looked so much like Henry. The flood of memories of her own little brown-haired boy running in the grass almost overtook her. The difficulty with old age is that what occurred many years ago has a tendency to feel like it was yesterday. She could remember with such clarity her life as a young mother, whereas last week seemed like only a blur.
Lois decided that she would stay in her recliner until it was time for her little Henry to leave the school, then she would be ready to greet him. She couldn’t disappoint her sweet boy by not being at the end of the drive to welcome him home.
(Frances)
Dong. Dong. Dong. Lois woke abruptly from her nap to the chiming of the grandfather clock Benny had given her on their 25th wedding anniversary. She looked at the clock and realized it was 11:00 already. Time had passed quickly. Kindergartners would be getting out of school soon. She got out of her chair and went to the back door where she kept her pail of gardening supplies. She picked it up and headed out the front door. Lois wanted to see the little boy who had waved to her this morning and looked so much like her own little Henry but she needed a reason to be waiting out in her front yard. Gardening was her reason and besides, the front flower bed really did need weeding.
Lois sat down on the retaining wall she and Benny had built a long time ago and began pulling weeds. She kept her hands busy pulling weeds but her eyes were mostly following the mothers walking up to the front of the school. She didn’t want to miss her little Henry and his mama if she could help it. Her mind began to drift while her hands continued to pull weeds. She saw herself as she had been as a young woman and pictured herself walking up to the school with her own little Henry in tow. How she wished she’d gotten the chance to do that, among so many other things. She shook her head to bring her back into the present and wiped the tear off her cheek that had managed to escape. She looked up at the school and there were lots of children and their parents walking down the sidewalk or getting in their cars. Some cars were already easing out of the parking lot and she knew she had to stay alert if she were to see the little boy who looked so much like Henry.
Lois watched the crosswalk where a little girl was being directed by her mother to look both ways so they could cross the street. The little girl looked right at Lois, then looked the other direction and then looked back at Lois again. The little girl gave a little wave at Lois and then crossed the street with her mother. Lois was startled but gave a little wave back. When the little girl saw her return her wave, she began waving exuberantly until her mother looked at Lois. She gave a little wave too and they continued down the street. Lois continued to watch the crosswalk and almost every child who crossed gave her a wave. She waved back, not questioning her good fortune and enjoying every minute of it. She had even forgotten to keep weeding.
When little Henry came to the crosswalk, he looked right in her direction and gave a big wave. Lois stood up and waved at him. She wanted to make sure he knew she was waving at him. The little boy pulled on his mother’s arm and she leaned down to talk to him. He kept pointing at Lois and pulling on his mother’s hand. She stood up with a little shrug in her shoulder and the little boy and his mother crossed the street and headed in her direction. She hoped that meant they were coming to say hello to her.
As they approached, the mother awkwardly said, “Hi, my name is Julie and this is my son Johnny. We just wanted to come by and say hello. I hope we aren’t bothering you in any way.”
“Oh, that is so nice of you. I love to meet new people. My name is Mrs. Smith or Lois, either one will work for me. So, it’s Johnny, huh?” Lois asked.
He nodded his head. Now that he was here in front of Lois he was all shyness.
Julie nudged Johnny. “It’s your chance to say hello Johnny. Say hello.”
“Hello,” said Johnny.
“It’s nice to meet you. Did you have a good first day of school?” Lois asked.
And that’s all it took for Johnny to open up and tell her all about the first day of school and all the cool things they got to do. He explained just about every minute of the day so that they were there listening to Johnny for about fifteen minutes.
“Well, it’s probably time for us to go Johnny. Mrs. Smith probably needs to get back to her gardening,” said Julie.
“Nonsense,” said Lois, “the weeds will always be there but I won’t always have you two to visit with but I’m sure you have things to do.”
“We should probably be going,” said Julie.
“But can we come back tomorrow?” asked Johnny.
Lois couldn’t help the big smile that came to her face.
“Dear, you can’t invite yourself over to visit with other people. You can only invite them over to visit with you,” said Julie.
“Then, can she come over tomorrow Mommy?” asked Johnny.
Lois could see that Julie was getting flustered. “How about I meet you out here tomorrow after school again. I’d love to hear how your second day of school goes. I’ll even bring cookies,” said Lois.
Johnny began jumping up and down and crowing.
“Oh, that’s very nice of you Mrs. Smith, we’ll stop by but you don’t need to make cookies,” said Julie.
“Call me Lois and it’s no trouble to make cookies. In fact, it actually gives me something to do today.”
“Good-bye,” said Julie. “We’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Good-bye, good-bye, good-bye,” said Johnny as he jumped up and down while his mother held his hand.
They started walking back toward the crosswalk when Johnny pulled away from his mother and ran back to Lois.
“Can I call you Grandma ‘cause I don’t have one?” asked Johnny.
“Johnnnny!” came his mother’s startled response as she headed back towards us.
Lois waved her off and knelt down to Johnny’s level, “You know what Johnny, I would love that! I’ve never had anyone call me Grandma so you call me Grandma and come by and see me tomorrow and I’ll give you cookies. Sound like a plan?”
“Yeah! I love cookies,” said Johnny and he ran back toward his mother’s outstretched hand.
“Thanks and we’ll see you tomorrow,” waved Julie as they walked away.
Lois reached up and wiped away the tear that had managed to escape from her traitorous eye for the second time that morning.
(Thelma)
That afternoon Lois made peanut butter cookies.
The next morning she woke up and remembered about peanut allergies. “What luck!” Lois said to herself when she found some chocolate chips so she made some chocolate chip cookies too. She put the peanut butter cookies in the freezer. She imagined herself pulling them out for Johnny at a future date, after it was established that he had no peanut allergy. Lois smiled even while she tried to caution herself that it may not happen. She couldn’t help imagining what it would be like to really be a grandmother to him.
Lois sat at her perch by the front window and watched all the children come to the school. She started watching early and kept watching until ten minutes after the bell rang and didn’t see him. She was sure she hadn’t just missed him.
Maybe he was sick.
Feeling very disappointed and a little foolish to pin all her hopes on a little boy, Lois went about her morning.
Even though she didn’t think he’d be there, she carefully watched all the kindergarten children leave for the day. No Johnny.
Again she felt foolish for investing so much hope in a little boy that was really a stranger to her. Lois complete the rest of her little tasks she had for herself to create a routine. It was her day to dust and water her plants so she did both.
For the next two days she didn’t see Johnny either. She even went outside to her front yard so she would for sure not miss him. He didn’t come.
Lois was at loose ends. What had happened to Johnny? He had seemed perfectly healthy. Could he have become suddenly so ill that he had to miss several days of school? Had something happened to his mother? She alternated between telling herself that it was none of her business to letting her imagination run wild with possibilities.
She saw children leaving Friday afternoon and knew that the school would soon be empty. Friday afternoons were the quietest time at school. Everyone left as soon as they could and if any teachers were left behind to finish up their work, they weren’t in the mood to socialize. Lois decided to pay Patti a visit. Patti was the school secretary and a friend of hers. She’d been a secretary there the last ten years Lois worked there and she still stopped by sometimes after work to say hello.
Halfway across the street, Lois began to wonder if Patti would think she was a crazy old bat but it was too late, she had to know if Patti knew anything about Johnny.
“Lois!” Patti said when she saw the older woman walk down the hall, “What are you doing here? Looking for a job?”
Lois smiled sadly. It was nice to be back in the school. She missed it. When she got close to Patti’s desk, Lois asked her in a low voice, “Can I ask you a question?”
Patti looked a little alarmed, “What?” she asked in a dramatic whisper. Patti had always been a little excitable.
“It’s probably nothing,” Lois said, “And I don’t know if you can even give me this information, but I’ve met someone.”
“At your age?” Patti teased.
“Please,” Lois said, aggravated, “A little boy. On the first day of school I met a little boy Johnny and his mother. They were going to stop by the next day for cookies and I haven’t seen him since. I know I may be overreacting but I’m worried.”
“Well,” Patti looked over her shoulder, “I probably am not supposed to be discussing students with anyone but this seems harmless.”
She paused long enough that LoisI prompted her to continue, “Yes…”
“He withdrew from school. The second day of school his mother called. I remember because I thought it was so odd that someone would withdraw after the first day. Very unusual.”
“I wonder what happened?”
Patti shrugged, “Who knows. Maybe they moved? At least you know he’s not sick though. He’s just fine.”
Lois didn’t feel so sure. She thanked Patti anyway though. Lois walked back across the street to her house, unlocked her door and walked inside. The clock on the wall was ticking loudly and the house was depressingly quiet. It was more quiet than usual because now she didn’t even have the hope that she’d have a young visitor.
Benny had always teased Lois about getting too excited about things and she knew that she had gotten ahead of herself thinking that she’d suddenly have a relationship with this sweet little boy that reminded her of Henry. Realizing all of that didn’t make her feel any better though.
That night Lois was deeply asleep when she heard knocking, more like banging, on the back door. She sat up in bed, her heart racing. Who could it be? The clock on her nightstand read 12:32. Lois wondered if she should call the police and tell them she had an intruder. She didn’t have an intruder though, someone was just knocking. Lois slipped out of bed and grabbed her nearby robe and wrapped it around herself. She crept down the hall toward the kitchen and could see the silhouette of someone through the small window at the top of the door. It looked like a woman which made her feel a little less frightened. Lois walked up to the door and called through the door, “Who is it?” She tried to make her voice sound strong and not terrified but she didn’t think she’d succeeded.
“It’s Julie,” came the answer, “Julie and...Johnny. Please, can we come in?”
Johnny?
Her fingers fumbled as Lois unlocked the door and swung it open. Julie was standing there and Johnny was beside her. They both looked frightened. “Come in,” Lois said, “Come in.”
“I’m so sorry to bother you,” Julie stammered, “I’m really sorry. I didn’t know where to go. I just panicked. Johnny said we should go to the grandmother’s house and I remembered you. I’m so sorry, I just didn’t know what else to do. We’re in trouble.”
(JoLyn)
Lois clutched her robe tightly closed at the neck. Trouble? She guessed trouble was about the only reason people who were practically strangers would come knocking just past midnight. What kind of trouble though? Lois motioned Julie farther into the room and turned on the lamp on the side table. The look on Julie’s face in the soft light told her this was not trouble of the “my hot water heater burst or my car broke down in your neighborhood” variety. Lois was going to have to make a decision right then, before she knew details of how serious things were. It was either accept the mother and son or deny them help and send them on their way right now.
Lois straightened up as best she could and laid a hand on Julie’s arm, but addressed Johnny who was hiding behind his mother’s legs. “Well Johnny, it looks like you’ve come to the right place for cookies, but it’s a little late for sweets tonight. How about we fix you up a place to sleep and I bet your mom will let you have some cookies tomorrow.” Johnny didn’t say anything, but he did nod almost imperceptibly. He would not let go of his mother’s legs. “Come on upstairs, you two. I haven’t had anyone sleep over in ages. I’ll have to move some boxes off the bed in the guest room.” She motioned for Julie to climb the stairs. “Second door on your left. I’m right behind you.” Julie picked up the tired Johnny and began the climb as Lois returned to the kitchen and slid the deadbolt into place. As she clicked off the lamp, Lois wondered what she had just dove headlong into.
With Julie’s help the spare bed was soon ready. When Lois suggested that they set up a cot in the sewing room for Johnny, Julie assured her that Johnny would quickly want to be in her bed anyway. Lois nodded her understanding. It was just as well; the sewing room had been Henry’s bedroom before she converted it. She wasn’t sure how she felt about another child sleeping in there--even one as sweet as Johnny. As Julie removed the shoes from the sleeping Johnny she whispered, “I know you want to know what’s going on.”
Lois held up her hand. “What I do know is that you need some sleep tonight and that explanations can wait until morning.”
Lois left Julie and returned to her bedroom. She wasn’t much of a heavy sleeper--more of an all day cat-napper really--and Lois knew she would have trouble sleeping tonight. She thought of Benny’s gun hidden on the top shelf of what used to be his side of the closet. That gun hadn’t been touched in 30 years. Lois couldn’t remember the last time she’d even thought of it. Benny would go target shooting occasionally and had even gone on a few hunting trips with his pals, but she had never cared to learn anything about the gun. She eventually nodded off to sleep pondering if a gun needed to be cleaned after 30 years if it hadn’t been used in that whole time. Her dreams that night were not restful.
Lois chided herself when she arose, still exhausted the next morning. Why had she been focused on the gun last night? There was probably nothing nefarious at all here. Maybe they had been evicted or one of them had been diagnosed with a disease. Oh, those are bad too, Lois thought. She tried to turn her brain off and focus on her regular routine. Normally, at this time of day, Stella would watch from her window as the school began to buzz with activity, but today was a Saturday.
Julie and Johnny continued to sleep as the minutes ticked away. She had made scrambled eggs, anticipating that the two would make an appearance any minute, but the food was now cold. Lois rose from the table and cleared the plates. Maybe Julie and Johnny were going to stay upstairs all day, scared they would be spotted through the big picture window. Maybe she should close her curtains. But no, her curtains were always open at this time of day. Someone would think something was wrong--maybe even check on her. Surely it was better to act normal and play it safe. Lois wasn’t used to this type of intrigue; to be honest, it was exhausting. “Even the excitable Patti would be better suited to this than I am,” Lois thought.
Lois was starting to work herself into a tizzy when Julie peeked her head over the banister and ruefully smiled at Lois. She tiptoed down and settled into an armchair in the front room when Lois offered it to her. “Would you like some breakfast, dear? Maybe something hot to drink?”
Julie shook her head. “No, thank you. I’d love some later, though. But right now, I have to tell you what’s going on.”
Lois agreed. She really did need to know what was going on before all the imagined possibilities gave her a heart attack. Sometimes one horrific reality is easier to deal with than countless prospects swarming around like biting flies. At least one reality gives you the opportunity to focus on a solution--no matter how bad things are.
Julie started haltingly, but soon found Lois to be a sympathetic listener. She let a lot of what she had kept bottled up come flowing out. “Johnny’s dad, Tony, has a really good heart, but he makes a lot of bad decisions. He owes people money. There was some kind of venture that he never quite explained to me. It didn’t pan out and now people want their money back. He disappeared a couple of months ago, saying he was leaving to keep us safe. He hasn’t contacted me since. He said the less we know, the better. He said it’s for our own good, but I’m wondering if maybe he’s forgotten all about us. But now, we’re being threatened unless he comes up with the money and I have no way of reaching him. They think I know where he is.”
“They’ve been casing our apartment for days and I was scared to leave. Last night I saw them in the parking lot with a crowbar and then I heard them messing around with the lock on the front door. Johnny and I were able to make it out the patio door before they broke in. We hid out on our neighbor’s patio for a while. Finally we shimmied down the railings and made our way here. As we ran away, I could see the guy silhouetted in my rocking chair, just waiting for us to come home.”
(Heather)
Lois caught her breath. This was bad. These men could have potentially followed Julie and Johnny to her house. They could even be sitting outside right now, waiting for their chance to attack.
“Have you gone to the police?” Lois asked, hoping that at least law enforcement was involved at this point.
“Yes, right after they first contacted me. I was afraid of what they might do to us, so I went to the police,” Julie nodded emphatically. “The police asked a lot of questions, but said there was nothing they could do at that point. I had only received a threatening phone call. There was nothing they could do with that alone. And I didn’t know where Tony was or what he was involved in.”
“Well, they can certainly do something now,” Lois said gravely. “These men are in your home, threatening you. We must tell the police.”
“But…” Julie started, then looked down at her hands sheepishly. “I am afraid if we bring the police in, then Tony might get into trouble. I don’t know what he owes these people money for. I don’t even know if what he was doing was legal. What if he goes to jail because I went to the police? I don’t know if I could live with myself if that happened.”
Lois reached her frail-looking, wrinkled hand across and rested it on Julie’s arm. Julie was surprised with how strong that hand felt. Not only was it warm and comforting, but there was a firm resolution implied in its strength.
“Julie, what happens with Tony is yet to be seen, but right now you must think of Johnny. You must protect him. I am sure that Tony will want you to protect his son at all cost, no matter what the outcome is with himself.”
Julie nodded, with tears running down her face. Then, wiping them away resolutely she said, “Let’s go. Let’s get these men out of my house for good.”
About an hour later, the three of them were walking into the downtown precinct. Julie looked quite pale, and Johnny didn’t look much better. He was holding onto his mother’s leg as they walked into the building, darting behind her anytime they approached someone new. It broke Lois’s heart to see the young boy so frightened.
Instinctively, Lois clutched her large handbag close to her chest. Before they had left the house, Lois had pulled a chair over to her closet to unearth her husband’s large handgun. She carefully loaded it and placed it deep in the bottom of her bag. She figured that she most likely wouldn’t be needing it, especially going to the police station, but it made her feel a little more confident as she took the mother and son out her back door and into the separate, dark garage that housed her faded blue 1967 Oldsmobile. Once inside the car, she felt much better. Even if someone was laying in wait for them outside her house, they would have a hard time attacking them now that they were securely within this steel tank of a car.
Lois sat with Johnny in the waiting area of the police station, giving Julie some privacy as she described her situation to a young lieutenant seated at a small desk, overflowing with folders and paperwork. He asked a number of questions, jotting down some notes, then motioned Julie toward the waiting room. Lois was pleased to see by his face that he was taking Julie’s case seriously. He immediately picked up his phone and started making several calls.
“They are going to the apartment to check it out,” Julie said in a low voice. She still looked pale, with wide, frightened eyes, and her hands were compulsively smoothing down the front of her skirt. “He said that we should wait here while they go to the apartment.”
Lois nodded her approval. Soon this would be all over.
About thirty minutes later the same lieutenant came over to where they were sitting.
“I’m sorry, ma’am, but there was no one there at your apartment. It did look, however, like it was forcefully broken into. The front door jam is broken and, unless you typically live with all your drawers and closets turned inside out, it appears they did a pretty thorough search of the residence. Our men are still at the scene investigating. I recommend you go to your friend’s house and stay there until we contact you with any information.”
He looked imploringly at Julie, but she seemed to wither more into herself and couldn’t give a response.
“Thank you, Officer,” Lois offered, standing up firmly. “I think that would be for the best. We appreciate all that you are doing for us.”
“If you think of anything that could help us out with the investigation, please don’t hesitate to call,” he said, looking to Julie and then pointedly to Lois. The lieutenant gave a grim smile to Johnny and ruffled his hair as he turned and walked away.
“Well, there’s no reason to be sitting here in these terrible chairs. I didn’t think my back could take it much longer anyway,” Lois said, reaching her hand down to Johnny. “Let’s go and make us some lunch. Something tells me that a big bowl of chicken soup would do a lot of good right now.” On seeing Johnny’s face light up hungrily, she added, “And a few cookies wouldn’t hurt, either.”
They all walked across the street to the parking garage that they had parked in, Johnny skipping excitedly ahead. Julie seemed torn between helping the slower older woman as she crossed the street, and keeping up with her boy. She opted to take Lois’s arm and called after her son.
“Hold on, Johnny! Wait for us!” But he was already rounding the corner into the garage. “Johnny!”
Lois chuckled at his boundless energy. “If only I could move that quickly,” she sighed.
“Don’t feel too badly,” Julie said. “I can hardly keep up with him myself.”
“They grow too quickly,” Lois said, shaking her head. “One minute they are small and completely dependant on you, and the next they are gone…” Her voice trailed off as she remembered her own little boy with boundless energy, and the fact that he would never come back.
Suddenly Lois jolted to a stop.
“Henry! We have to save Henry!” her voice nearly broke as she suppressed a sob, and tried to move into the garage as quickly as she could.
Julie followed behind her, confused about the sudden change in Lois’ demeanor. As she rounded the corner, however, her breath caught in her throat and it seemed like the world had suddenly come to an abrupt and terrible stop.
Johnny stood in the center of the garage, a knife angled dangerously against his throat, and his captor sneering at the two women with an ugly grin.
The man holding Johnny was wearing dirty jeans and a stained undershirt full of holes. Once Lois was able to tear her eyes off of him, she noticed that there were two other men coming out from in between several cars. They were just as dark and filthy as the first man. The man who had Johnny in such a precarious position began to speak in a low, gravelly voice.
“So, this here is Tony’s boy, eh?” he began to cackle, then made a disgusting sound in his throat as he spit his putrid phlegm to the side.
“Please, don’t hurt him!” Julie wailed. “I’ll give you anything, just don’t hurt my son!”
“You know what we want, lady,” he said gruffly, edging the knife tighter against the soft skin of Johnny’s neck. The little boy whimpered softly, several hot tears escaping from his left eye. “Give us our money, or Tony’s boy here will be showing off a new necklace.”
“I will give you all that I have. But I told you, I don’t know anything about the money! Tony didn’t tell me anything, and now I don’t know where he is!”
“Not good enough,” he sneered. Johnny’s eyes grew wide with fear as a thin trickle of blood slipped down his neck.
Julie screamed, “No!” and began to race forward, but stopped abruptly as the two other men edged toward the women.
Lois moved fast. Without even a moment’s thought she drug Benny’s gun from out of her handbag and held it shakily up toward the men who were approaching them.
“Don’t come any closer,” she said, with a slight tremble in her voice.
The men looked at each other in surprise, and let out a disbelieving snicker.
“Come on, lady, we know you can’t use that thing,” the burly man with a five o’clock shadow across his chiseled face said, and looked to his two companions with a shrug. They began to move toward them again.
This time, Lois planted her feet firmly apart, and raised the gun up to her shoulder level, aiming it squarely at the larger man. Her hands were no longer shaking.
“You think so, huh? Well, go ahead and try me buster,” she said in a low and dangerous voice. This time the men took notice and backed off.
“Woah, hold on, lady,” the man said, his hands up slightly in surrender as he ended up near the one holding Johnny. “Now what?” he said softly to the boy’s captor.
“I’ll tell you ‘now what,’” Lois replied in a grim, even voice. “You are going to let that boy go, and you are going to run as fast as you can and not look back.”
The men didn’t respond.
“You don’t think that I’m serious? We are across the street from the police station, you idiots. One fire from this gun and you will have half the precinct down on your sorry behinds in less than thirty seconds.”
The truth of Lois’s statement seemed to start sinking in.
“Julie, start your stop watch,” the old woman said smoothly, then fired two powerful shots directly into the ceiling of the parking garage.
The explosions that erupted from that huge gun might as well have come out of a cannon. The sound reverberated off of the concrete walls. There was no way it wouldn’t have been heard across the street.
The men stood still for a moment, evidently in shock. But half a second later they were scrambling toward the back of the garage, leaving a stunned Johnny behind.
“Johnny!” Julie cried, as she ran toward her son.
Moments later, the sound of footsteps and yells could be heard approaching from the entrance of the garage. The short blip of a siren from the street let everyone know that this was business.
The young lieutenant from the precinct was the first to approach the mother and son. As she pointed toward the back of the garage, he motioned on six other uniformed men who quickly ran in the direction Julie indicated.
Glancing over his shoulder, the lieutenant eyed Lois with the gun still tightly grasped in her hands, although it was now safely pointed toward the ground.
“Did you have that with you in the station?” he asked her incredulously. Lois gave a sideways shrug and fumbled to put the safety back on the gun. “Well, I hope you have a concealed weapons permit for that thing,” he said, laughing.
“With all due respect, Officer, I’d rather carry this with me for now until those men are caught,” she said evenly.
“At your command, ma’am,” he said, with a twinkle in his bright blue eyes.
Three weeks later, Johnny was sitting at Lois’s worn dining room table, shovelling as many fresh cookies into his mouth as he could. By an arrangement that worked for both Julie and Lois, the young boy came to Lois’s house after school for an hour every day, while his mother finished up work at a local pharmacy.
“Careful now, don’t eat them too fast!” Lois warned the boy, but she couldn’t completely suppress the joyful laugh bubbling up from deep inside of her.
A lot had happened these last few weeks. The police captured all three of the men that were harassing Johnny and his mother on the day of their attack, making both mother and son finally feel secure and at peace. As if by clockwork, Tony returned home the following week. He immediately resigned to seek help for his gambling addiction, as that was where all his troubles had begun. Julie felt more secure with Tony’s commitment to their family and things were looking up for them.
Johnny went back to school and now he had become a normal fixture in Lois’s day. She had something to look forward to everyday, and she loved that boy as though he were her own.
“Grandma Lois?” Johnny asked, licking a streak of melted chocolate from the corner of his mouth as he spoke.
“Yes, Johnny?”
“That day in the garage, when those bad men were trying to hurt me...Why did you call me Henry that day?”
Lois paused for a moment before she felt ready to answer Johnny’s question.
“I suppose it was because that day you were my Henry to me,” she said softly, touching him lightly on his head, wanting to caress his perfectly soft cheek but unsure if she could.
“He’s your boy that died, right?” he asked, his gaze sincere and innocent.
“Yes, he died a very long time ago,” was all Lois could say.
“Well, I don’t mind that you called me Henry. You can call me Henry when you feel like it, as long as I can keep calling you Grandma.”
Lois didn’t care what was appropriate or not, she pulled Johnny in for a tight hug and dabbed at her leaking eyes.
“I will always be Grandma,” she whispered in his ear. “And you will always be my boy.”
“So, this here is Tony’s boy, eh?” he began to cackle, then made a disgusting sound in his throat as he spit his putrid phlegm to the side.
“Please, don’t hurt him!” Julie wailed. “I’ll give you anything, just don’t hurt my son!”
“You know what we want, lady,” he said gruffly, edging the knife tighter against the soft skin of Johnny’s neck. The little boy whimpered softly, several hot tears escaping from his left eye. “Give us our money, or Tony’s boy here will be showing off a new necklace.”
“I will give you all that I have. But I told you, I don’t know anything about the money! Tony didn’t tell me anything, and now I don’t know where he is!”
“Not good enough,” he sneered. Johnny’s eyes grew wide with fear as a thin trickle of blood slipped down his neck.
Julie screamed, “No!” and began to race forward, but stopped abruptly as the two other men edged toward the women.
Lois moved fast. Without even a moment’s thought she drug Benny’s gun from out of her handbag and held it shakily up toward the men who were approaching them.
“Don’t come any closer,” she said, with a slight tremble in her voice.
The men looked at each other in surprise, and let out a disbelieving snicker.
“Come on, lady, we know you can’t use that thing,” the burly man with a five o’clock shadow across his chiseled face said, and looked to his two companions with a shrug. They began to move toward them again.
This time, Lois planted her feet firmly apart, and raised the gun up to her shoulder level, aiming it squarely at the larger man. Her hands were no longer shaking.
“You think so, huh? Well, go ahead and try me buster,” she said in a low and dangerous voice. This time the men took notice and backed off.
“Woah, hold on, lady,” the man said, his hands up slightly in surrender as he ended up near the one holding Johnny. “Now what?” he said softly to the boy’s captor.
“I’ll tell you ‘now what,’” Lois replied in a grim, even voice. “You are going to let that boy go, and you are going to run as fast as you can and not look back.”
The men didn’t respond.
“You don’t think that I’m serious? We are across the street from the police station, you idiots. One fire from this gun and you will have half the precinct down on your sorry behinds in less than thirty seconds.”
The truth of Lois’s statement seemed to start sinking in.
“Julie, start your stop watch,” the old woman said smoothly, then fired two powerful shots directly into the ceiling of the parking garage.
The explosions that erupted from that huge gun might as well have come out of a cannon. The sound reverberated off of the concrete walls. There was no way it wouldn’t have been heard across the street.
The men stood still for a moment, evidently in shock. But half a second later they were scrambling toward the back of the garage, leaving a stunned Johnny behind.
“Johnny!” Julie cried, as she ran toward her son.
Moments later, the sound of footsteps and yells could be heard approaching from the entrance of the garage. The short blip of a siren from the street let everyone know that this was business.
The young lieutenant from the precinct was the first to approach the mother and son. As she pointed toward the back of the garage, he motioned on six other uniformed men who quickly ran in the direction Julie indicated.
Glancing over his shoulder, the lieutenant eyed Lois with the gun still tightly grasped in her hands, although it was now safely pointed toward the ground.
“Did you have that with you in the station?” he asked her incredulously. Lois gave a sideways shrug and fumbled to put the safety back on the gun. “Well, I hope you have a concealed weapons permit for that thing,” he said, laughing.
“With all due respect, Officer, I’d rather carry this with me for now until those men are caught,” she said evenly.
“At your command, ma’am,” he said, with a twinkle in his bright blue eyes.
Three weeks later, Johnny was sitting at Lois’s worn dining room table, shovelling as many fresh cookies into his mouth as he could. By an arrangement that worked for both Julie and Lois, the young boy came to Lois’s house after school for an hour every day, while his mother finished up work at a local pharmacy.
“Careful now, don’t eat them too fast!” Lois warned the boy, but she couldn’t completely suppress the joyful laugh bubbling up from deep inside of her.
A lot had happened these last few weeks. The police captured all three of the men that were harassing Johnny and his mother on the day of their attack, making both mother and son finally feel secure and at peace. As if by clockwork, Tony returned home the following week. He immediately resigned to seek help for his gambling addiction, as that was where all his troubles had begun. Julie felt more secure with Tony’s commitment to their family and things were looking up for them.
Johnny went back to school and now he had become a normal fixture in Lois’s day. She had something to look forward to everyday, and she loved that boy as though he were her own.
“Grandma Lois?” Johnny asked, licking a streak of melted chocolate from the corner of his mouth as he spoke.
“Yes, Johnny?”
“That day in the garage, when those bad men were trying to hurt me...Why did you call me Henry that day?”
Lois paused for a moment before she felt ready to answer Johnny’s question.
“I suppose it was because that day you were my Henry to me,” she said softly, touching him lightly on his head, wanting to caress his perfectly soft cheek but unsure if she could.
“He’s your boy that died, right?” he asked, his gaze sincere and innocent.
“Yes, he died a very long time ago,” was all Lois could say.
“Well, I don’t mind that you called me Henry. You can call me Henry when you feel like it, as long as I can keep calling you Grandma.”
Lois didn’t care what was appropriate or not, she pulled Johnny in for a tight hug and dabbed at her leaking eyes.
“I will always be Grandma,” she whispered in his ear. “And you will always be my boy.”
THE END
