SWAT: Beginnings

HonDeac: An Eye for an Eye

Author's Note: Sometimes when we're mad, we make horrible decisions. But...what if those decisions affect the lives of others? What if your anger blinded you to the point of taking it out on someone so bad, it ended up doing more damage than the pain you suffered to begin with? Unfortunately, sometimes mistakes are paid for with tears. 

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"Baby! You've been at it for a while now. Why don't you take a break, huh?" Mrs. Harrelson called, as she arrived in the garage with a tray, offering a pitcher of refreshing homemade lemonade and a batch of freshly baked sugar cookies. She set it down by the workbench her son had set up to the side and dragged an empty chair to sit. 

"I'm almost done, momma!" Officer Daniel 'Hondo' Harrelson answered, working on a light fixture.

He made sure not to lose his balance, while tilting his head as far back as it could go to get a better look at the light. His neck was already starting to ache, so it was a good thing that it was the last ceiling light! 

His mother took a bite of one of the cookies and asked, "You gonna tell me what's bothering you?"

He paused his labor and grinned. He turned to her and responded, "Ain't nottin bothering me, momma." he shook his head slowly, then returned to the cables sticking out of the ceiling, "Can't I just come and help ya out without chu trynna psych me out?" 

While he spoke, she served them both a glass of the light yellow liquid and finished her cookie. 

"You finna come here and act like I don't know you, huh?"

Sigh. There was no point in trying to fool her. Heck! He couldn't even fool himself by now. He'd already mowed the lawn, fixed an appliance, lifted heavy furniture so she could clean and now was almost done with all four lights in the garage. The worst part of it all, his nerves were still all over the place!

"Momma" he called, putting in the cover and slowly coming down the ladder, "the interviews for sergeant start tomorrow and I...I 'on't know. I know everything but...I wanna sound right....you understand?"

"Come again!" she said, confused. "All you gotta do is answer they questions. You's smart, you know yo stuff. Whatchu mean 'sound right'?"

"I don't know...like, articulate?" he responded skeptically, rubbing his hands on the dirty rag he took out of his pocket. He lowered his gaze, walking slowly towards the bench. Deep breath. "I wanna sound professional-"

"Hondo, baby." she interrupted, "what's wrong with the way you talk?"

"Nottin- I mean- nothing." he said, resting his arm on the table. 

"Baby, listen to me" she called, now turning to face him directly. She placed a gentle hand on his his forearm, "If you go on that interview thinking you gotta be somebody else, you'll just be fooling yo'self. If you finna get the job, it's gon be coz you earned it. You. Nobody else!"

"But, momma, I gotta face a bunch of white men that gonna determine if I'm cut out for a higher rank. In the military it's different coz it's all about service time, and once you get in the good side of yo boss, all you finna do is work hard."

"So?"

"I don't have to face a board, momma. How many brothers you think gonna be there, huh? None!" sigh. "The moment I step in, I know the gon give me the stinky eye, fo' sure!"

"You don't know that! Besides, you got the talent, the brains and the training...you just gotta trust yo self, honey! Control what you can, and... the rest? Lor' will take care of it!" she said, placing the other hand on his arm and squeezing gently, while showing a smile.