Short Stories

The Virtue of Greatness

      As RJ raced home with an envelope secured in the pocket of his baggy jeans, wind blowing through his plaid shirt like a cape, he could hardly contain his excitement. Though getting accepted into a good college like Princeton seemed only a dream, it was finally coming true. He had a timorous feeling within him, knowing he may also be declined this chance for a successful future, for in the environment he was living, success was unimaginable. Even if he was not accepted into the one place that could redeem him, he would find a way to ameliorate himself.    
    "Mama! It's here." RJ said as he threw the broken screen door closed behind him. "Oh child, well open it. Ya' making me damn near nervous." He teared the fold and slid the paper carefully out, increasing the edges and reading it aloud. "Congratulations to Mr. Roy Jason McGordon, we are proud to infer that you have been accepted into Princeton University. We hope the art department allows you to ascend into your future career in journalism and writing and we look forward to seeing you next semester." There was a pause between the two, then another, until RJ suddenly looked up from the paper to see his mother's arms around him, weeping softly. "I did it Mama, I'm gonna be somebody." His mother glared at him before admonishing him for believing low of himself, she smiled and said, "There's nothing in life that makes me more proud than my baby. You go out there RJ, and you make the difference you were born to make. I love you, son."
    There was a loud knock at the door that broke the two apart to answer it, RJ is not normally this affectionate with his mother, but when he is, it is usually because one of them were mugged or terized by some druggy on the street. Even then it could be hard to comfort one another when their community hears gunshots every night and the heinous white policemen begin their unnecessary drug or weaponry house check, late at night to the crack of dawn.
When RJ checked through the window curtain who knocked, it was his uncle Kegan who seemed like he was in bad need to use the bathroom. "Uncle Key, I got into the university." he said with a large and cheesy smile. "That's nice boy, look out the way, I'm 'bout to blow!" Uncle Key had run into the bathroom without acknowledging what RJ said. He and his mother stood there looking at each other and laughed. Uncle Key did always know RJ would make it.
There were more knocks at the door, followed by the laughters and snickers of his friends Don, Drew, and Carter. RJ knew if he let them inside his mother would have much animosity toward their misbehavior. He quickly kissed her cheek and said, "See you guys later." "Take care of yourself baby!" his mother shouted as he threw the screen door closed behind him.
"What's good?" RJ asked the group with a bravado of handshakes and one-armed hugs. "Bro, we about to do this one thing-" Drew claimed before RJ held him back from leaving the porch, "Wait, ain't you gonna ask me how my day went?" he said with a smirk. "How's 'yo day fool?" Don joked. RJ took a pause for emphasis, "I got in my brother's." Carter sucked his teeth, "Man stop playin' with us. You know what happen to all 'uh black people in a white school. Ain't none of them old professors gonna teach you." RJ became annoyed and said, "Boy don't you have a baby to take care of?" Carter sucked again, looking down and back up at RJ and said, "Shut up." "Besides," RJ continued, "I'll have y'all punks know that someday I'm not going to end up abortive like every other sorry face in this hood. I'm gonna get my college degree and then I'm gonna come back here and laugh in all your faces as I drive by in my Mustang with a fine lady by my side... I can- I will do this, ain't nobody gonna stop me." "Then what you gonna do? Bail your dad out? You know all that is bull." Drew implied. "Man let's go RJ."
As they walked down the street, Drew began spilling everything that was going on in the streets while RJ was finishing high school. They had apparently joined a gang with a leader by the name of Boggs, a large and nasty man who is only notoriously known within his gang for the 34 men and counting he had murdered in the past since starting the gang. Since the three boys wanted to 'live the life' with drugs and the adrenaline of killing a man, RJ could hardly believe these were the boys he grew up with.
"Look man, all we sayin' is that you ain't gonna make it anywhere in college. Look at the world we're in bro, cops are killing brothers. We're not accepted in a place like that. Either way out, you're not gonna be something big. You're gonna land right back down here, in these mean streets where no one can escape. Think about it. Let's get outta here, later Roy." Drew explained, taking Don and Carter with him in a sudden abscond. The sun was going down and RJ knew he needed to get back home quick. The anger within him grew as he stepped home, letting it out on a druggy asking for change and almost hurting the man. He knew in his heart that nothing would stop him from living his dream and getting out of such a 'hellhole'.
He stepped into his home and greeted his mother and uncle who were watching the news with frightful faces. "Oh RJ thank God you're home. There's some gangsters coming around and shootin' up some convenience stores for money." There then was the common and recurring sound of a helicopter hovering above and lighting the street with God's eye, followed by bangs of a gun shooting. "I'm going to bed. Goodnight Mama, night Uncle." Ms. McGordon held her hand on his back while his uncle said, "Night Mr. University." As RJ walked upstairs, he heard his uncle chuckle until another bang went off and shut him up.
While RJ was doing some emailing to Princeton, a face dark face showed up on the window in front of him where he threw himself back and shouted, realizing it was only Drew, someone he did not want to see. He waved Drew away and pointed to his computer. Drew tilted his head to his side and let himself into the house. "I'm working D, something you never knew of." RJ told him, sitting back down. Drew threw himself on the couch covered in plastic and took out a large fold of clipped together green papers, "Then how I get all this money bro?" He then threw it on the desk RJ was working at and said, "Keep it, I got plenty more coming in with the next shipment Boggs is selling." Feeling indignation, RJ quickly got up and grabbed the money, throwing it hard at Drew's chest which got his attention quick. "I don't want your money bro! Don't you get it? I'm gonna be something, I'm not trying to get caught up with dumb stuff like this. Best get out of here now because when I come back I'm gonna get rid of all this gang crap and I'm starting with you."
Drew said nothing but collected his money and left. RJ had a moment to himself and realized their altercation will probably get him in trouble. There then was an acrid smell in the air, from RJ's past experiences, stale marijuana, laying on his couch. He scooped it all up and quickly flushed it down the toilet.
Later that night, RJ noticed some stirring outside his porch and portended nothing good was going to happen. Looking out the window, he saw it was his three 'friends' trying to get his attention. RJ thought for a minute, then opened the door as they grabbed his arms and pulled him along down the street. The sun was leaving the Earth in slow motion and each minute it did, RJ was feeling less and less hopeful. He began cursing under his breath and kicking around, shouting at the fact that they were betraying his loyalty. Eventually they arrives in a corner under a street light. Carter walked into the dark alley way between two large structures with the windows shattered and vines growing up the sides. Out of the dark, a tall and thick figure came out, asking RJ to be calm for the time being.
"Let me go, yo', this ain't for me, I got better things to do, come on." RJ begged, he knew they were not letting him go and so he began to cry. This is the moment in which he knew he would never pursue in the greatness he goes for. He wondered what his mother would think of him. Finally he gave up all he dreamt of, this was the realization that made him black out, other than the thin needle that was shoved into his arm by the giant man. "You're just gonna have a nice sleepwalk my friend. Don't ever talk to my boys like that again. You ain't gettin' rid of none of us." Boggs said as RJ began seeing three of him. Wave like patterns took over his eyes and he began to hear a chime that was chronically going as the wind blew through it, a memory he hated to see. As his father was taken away for a life sentence because of attempted burglary. He could have gotten a few years or less but the white men take things more seriously on us black boys.
Bang.
There's a calm before the tempest of feelings. When one is a child, they don't recognize what they had done until the parent had scolded them about it. There is always a consequence after every mistake, never had a consequence taken over RJ's body more than what he woke up to. Burning at his chest, ringing his ears, and making him lose control of his motor skills, he finally dropped the gun and fell to his knees, sitting next to the innocent man he had just somehow shot. He stared down the limp body and wanted to know a name. Colors soon appeared in his blurry eyes and the ring in his ear came through, the three colors of freedom and the so often comfortable siren became a noise that RJ wanted to rid of, he had a belligerent feeling of fighting back, but knew it would do no good, he was alienated and he wondered what was to happen in the end. He heard the shout from the policeman that told RJ to put his hands behind his head and to remain calm. RJ became lamented and got up, asking for forgiveness and pleading innocent. RJ knew in his heart one day, he would be in a better place. The police shouted for him to stop moving, hiding behind the parked cars, they gave him the final warning until it happened again.
Bang. Bang.