“It’s been going on for years,” Noah spoke dejectedly. “And it’s just gonna keep on going. There’s nothing we can do about it.”
His friend looked up from his steaming cup of black coffee and sighed. The old wooden chair creaked as he leaned back on it.
“It doesn’t matter that we can’t change it. All that matters is that we try. It’s our duty as enforcers of the law that we keep trying.”
Noah glanced back at him. “Yeah, well, all it seems like is we’re leaving our kids in a worse mess that we started with. The drug dealers are takin’ over this whole part of the town. No one wants to leave their houses. It’s a dang scary neighborhood.”
His friend’s reply came slowly, and with a slight smile, “Good thing we’re here, eh?” He paused as though something had just caught his attention. “Did you just say “our” kids?”
“Yeah,” Noah shrugged modestly, although he looked pleased.
“I thought your wife-”
Noah cut him off, “Guess the doctor was wrong. You’ll be the godfather, you know.”
His friend held up his mug in a mock toast. The ceramics clinked as they met. Both men took a long drink of coffee.
“So, when’s it due?”
“Few months.”
The café was silent for a moment, and then Noah’s friend spoke as he slid his chair back and stood up to leave, “Call me crazy, but I got a feeling this kid’ll change things. Catch ya on the other side.”
* * * * *
The doors to the field opened and, holding his helmet underneath his arm, Sam jogged out onto the perfectly painted, green field, followed by the rest of his team, the Warriors. They were greeted by the roar of the crowd and the blinding lights that shined down on them. As the team met in the center of the field before running through their warm up drills, he happened to look up and over at the sidelines, where the cheerleaders were performing their acrobatics. All it took was that one look to make up his mind.
As they came out of the locker room after the game he interrupted his friend, who was carrying on a monologue about the game.
“… the Lion’s were a lot better of a team than I figured they’d be- that was actually a good game- but we still beat them, and now we’re going to the playoffs. We should-”
“I’m going to date her.”
His friend looked blankly back at him.
“What?”
“I’m going to date her.”
“Who?”
“Del.”
“Del? As in cheerleader on the sidelines, drug dealer dad Del?”
“Yeah.”
His friend whistled out his air.
“You do remember your dad is a cop, right?”
“Yeah. So?”
“No reason. Just checking.”
They kept walking toward the parking lot with the rest of the football crowd. With the cover of the noise Sam looked sideways at his friend.
“You know there’s a party down at Phil’s house tonight? Everyone is supposed to be there.” The word everyone was heavily weighted.
His friend sighed. “Everyone, huh? Alright, let’s go.”
* * * * *
“Man, I don’t know how you do it. You just decide you’re gonna date her, and then you show up the next week dating her. How did you manage that one?”
Sam shrugged. “It just happened.” He looked around to make sure no one was listening. “It’s kind of weird though. I’ve only known her for a couple days, and she’s kind of got this obsession about how much I bench press.”
His friend laughed. “That’s weird? Dude, chicks dig that kind of stuff.”
Sam just looked at him. “Maybe… but she keeps asking me how I got that strong. Most people’d leave it at steroids, genetics, and hard work.”
“So she’s a little weird. She’s still hot. Give her a break.”
Sam shrugged noncommittally, “Maybe.”
As they split to go down different hallways, he looked at the ring on his right middle finger that he had had for as long as he could remember. He couldn’t remember where he had found it, but the strange part about it was that it had always fit him. It seemed to grow with him. Even stranger, he knew that if he lost it, his bench pressing record would be history.
* * * * *
“You still haven’t told me why you’re so strong,” Del complained as she gave him a hug at the end of the day.
“Why does it matter?” Sam raised his voice unintentionally in exasperation.
She looked irritated for a moment, and then with innocent sweetness spoke, “I just want to know.”
Sam mentally rolled his eyes. What can it hurt? She’ll either think I’m crazy or…. think I’m crazy… At least she’ll leave me alone about it.
He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Alright, fine. This is going to sound dumb, but…”
She leaned in eagerly.
“I think it’s the ring.”
Del looked taken aback. “The ring?”
Sam looked her in the eyes. “Yeah, the ring.”
She was quiet for a moment, and then, “Can I look at it.”
Not thinking, he pulled it off his finger and handed it to her. Almost immediately he could tell something was different. And he knew something was wrong. Looking around himself, he realized that on their walk home, he had removed his one source of protection in the worst part of their neighborhood. A myriad of expressions flew over Del’s face and she started backing away, still holding the ring.
“I’ve got it,” she spoke, with a tinge of triumph underscoring the words, and Sam was suddenly surrounded by people, who seemed to have come from nowhere.
Before he could make sense of what was happening, he forced to his knees and blindfolded. He could hear the telephone call made to his father to tell him that his son was now a hostage of the drug dealing ring he had been fighting for so long. The terms: give it up, or your son dies. Sam knew that in his father’s mind, there wouldn’t really be a choice. He would never make a decision that would result in the death of his son. For a moment, Sam almost smiled at the memory, but his thoughts continued to the realization that he would be held as a hostage for an indeterminable amount of time. Why would they let him go when they could control his father by holding Sam where he couldn’t be found.
When they arrived at the headquarters of the ring, Sam was led down the stairs and tied to a pillar in what he assumed was the basement since he was unable to see past the strip of cloth bound around his eyes. Before the door slammed shut, a voice taunted him, “How does it feel to be the downfall of your father?”
He put his head down and wept.
How long he stayed in this state, he did not know, except that it seemed like an eternity. He woke up from a state of despair, some time later though, and realized that, once again, the familiar feeling of the ring was back. He had no idea how it could have come to be there, and he never did find out, but all he thought about was that that his strength had returned. He slowly tested his muscles by flexing them and straining against the heavy chains they had bound him with- another mockery. And then, he did not know how, but he knew what to do. He strained against the chains, and the whole house came down.
He never knew, but it was during a meeting between all the leaders of the ring. He never knew, but his father remembered.
