Freedom Train

April 14, 1963 Pt. 4

Henry sucked in the thick smoke from his cigarette as he leaned over the railing of the Gaston Motel. He couldn't seem to get the girl out of his mind- her lifeless body, the puddles of crimson that stained the freshly green grass. Every time he closed his eyes to try to sleep, he saw her there.

"Can I get one of those?" Terry asked from the doorway to their room.

Henry reached into his pocket and pulled out the crushed pack of smokes, offering one to his best friend without looking his way.

"Thought you quit," he remarked before inhaling another puff.

"Life's too short to be a quitter," Terry sighed.

Terry walked up to Henry's side and copied his stance, leaning over the edge of the iron railing and letting his eyes wander over the parking lot.

"I can't stop seein' her," Henry admitted. "Can't stop seein' them."

Terry didn't have to ask who he was referring to, because Terry, himself, was having the same problem. He had tried to sleep, but when he closed his eyes he immediately saw poor Lizzie, followed by the broken look on the faces of their friends and allies- Bobby, Samuel Pritchard, Ronny, Sandy, Annabeth.

"They were just trying to help," Henry continued. "They were just trying to help and now they lost their friend- Sam lost his daughter- And I can't help but feel as if it's our fault."

Terry nodded his head, the sense of responsibility strong for him as well.

"They get here yet? Bobby called me after he called and booked the room. Said they were on their way." Terry said, referring to Bobby and the girls.

"Saw em' pull in a while ago. I was gonna go say something, but the girls sat in the truck awhile and Bobby..." Henry sighed, letting his thoughts trail off. "I thought maybe they wouldn't want to see us."

"They're our friends, Henry," Terry said, taking one final pull from his smoke before he dropped it to the concrete landing and crushed it with his boot.

"Na, man. She was their friend. And we got her killed."

"I'm going over there," Terry said, ignoring Henry's comment. "You can come or you can stay here and let the guilt eat away at you."

Henry didn't reply, so Terry walked off toward their friend's room.

Alone.

***

Ronny sat in his Daddy's truck, staring at the house and the barn that sat behind it. He was trying to convince himself to move, telling himself that the farm and everything on that land was his responsibility now that his father was in jail. The pens needed to be mucked. The cows needed to be milked. The horses needed to be fed.

He was now the man of the house whether he liked it or not.

Beyond those walls, his Mama sat oblivious to the turn the day had taken. He would have to tell her, but he wasn't quite ready for that either.

Ronny thought of his lost love again. She had the brightest, laughing eyes that Ronny had ever seen. Her soul was so full of honey and sweetness, enough to soften even the hardest of hearts. He wanted to marry her, raise a family with her, be with her until they were old and gray.

Now, she was gone. His father had murdered her- accidental or not- it didn't matter to Ron. He would never again be able to look at his father and not want to watch him die a horrid death.

Because it had been Lizzie who had been killed, Ronny knew that his father would spend a long time in Prison. If it had been Terry or Henry, Reginald probably would've been out by morning, but since it was an innocent white girl- Reginald would face the wrath of the court system like any other common criminal. The realization that he would probably never have to see his father again only comforted him to the slightest degree. Because he would give up everything- anything- to be able to hold his beloved one more time.