Friday, March 18, 2016

A Story From the Life of Terry H. Ghostwritten by Liam H.



Photo Courtesy of Terry H.

A Story of the Life of Terry H.
Ghostwritten by Liam H.


College Tuition


My family wasn’t the the poorest in my hometown, there were other families we would help out with by delivering our leftovers to their home when my five brothers and sisters, grandfather and two cousins didn’t finish it all up. Mom would look out for a couple of families in our hometown that were even worse off than we were. Grandpa’s small vegetable garden, and Mom’s gifted abilities to can the food for long term storage, helped even out the rough spots. It took us years to pool the money for my college tuition, Dad worked tirelessly at the factory and Mom worked two part time jobs where she met people called ‘engineers’. To me, an engineer was the guy that drove the locomotives on the tracks that passed within a few feet of our small home. Mom was a typist at Cummins Diesel, the men she worked for were engineering graduates of Tri-State University, mom didn’t know much about their world but knew this was a better life for me. Through my parent’s sacrifices, the seed money for college was put together. My good grades in high school got me accepted into Tri-State university.

Once I arrived at the university, my first challenges were finding housing and still having funds to buy food. I was able to find a family that was renting out their guest bedroom. Along with that room I was given permission to eat as many tomatoes from their garden as I wanted. I was able to create a diet for myself consisting of jello, saltine crackers, and tomatoes. After a couple months of my thrifty diet I was becoming extremely malnourished and thin.

Getting the money to pay for my housing and food wasn’t the hard part of college, it was running into Jerry and John everyday.

I walked down high street everyday on my way home from class. Of course, Jerry and John were waiting for me outside Larrison’s. I nodded as I walked past. Jerry caught up to me and spit his gum on the ground. Johnny began to tell me about his adventure skipping school on our way back to my apartment and Jerry tapped my chest. “How much do you want for that man?” I looked down at my black shirt.

“My shirt?” I said. “Have it” Jerry looked back at me, grateful. He patted me on the back. From this point on he opened up to me and told me what was on his mind. We strolled past the diner. “Man I was drinkin’ some hooch last night, but the neighbors must’ve called the cops.” Jerry trailed on and continued to grumble about the police while Johnny stood on my left and nodded. “Jer, if you keep doin’ this kinda stuff you won’t live till your 16 man. Talking about the police like this, I know you’re gonna get yourself into trouble.” Jerry kept looking straight and didn’t pay me any attention.

Four days later, it was saturday. I ran into Johnny. “Where’s Jerry?” I asked. Johnny looked at his shoes and clenched the green bench handles. I knelt down and tried to look at his face but he wouldn’t look back. “What’s wrong man, is Jerry in jail again?”

“He’s gone now Terry.”

“Gone, how?” Stunned I nudged him harder hoping to get an answer.

“Last night he was drinkin, the cops got em.” John’s eyes became watery. “He jumped into one of their running cruisers and took off with it…”

“What happened?!” This time I wasn’t going to be patient I shook his shoulders, jerking him back and forth.

“A cop sped up right next to him propped his shotgun up right in the window and blew him away.” John sniffed, holding back tears. “He’s in the morgue already.” Tears began to run down the 15 year old's face. I patted him on the shoulder.

The following day we headed over to the funeral home, I opened the door. The emptiness of the room and the silence made me anxious as I made my way over to his casket. Nobody, not a single family member or even an employee was in attendance. I moved closer to the casket, his head and neck were so mutilated I didn’t even recognize him. I looked at his chest, he was still wearing the black tee I had just given him days before. The room was empty, not a single employee or relative had shown for the boy. Broken, I stepped out and decided to head home.

The next few days I didn’t see John. Eventually I saw him outside the drugstore a few weeks after the incident and went to talk to him. He seemed different. His sadness was converted to anger. “I’m gettin outta the town man. You're the only one I’ll miss Terry.” “What do you plan to do?” I exclaimed.

“I’ll clean out the Kroger downtown and use the money to get away, start a new life, somewhere far away from here.” He said it as if it were a master plan.

“Didn’t you just see what happened to Jerry?” “You’re next if you do this and on top of that your father is the manager!” He lead me inside and I slid into a booth. He lowered his head and whispered, “look under the table Ter.” I ducked my head under the table and in his palms was a colt. “What’re you thinking?” He smirked at me. “This’ll be the end of you if you do this!” I slammed my clenched fists on the table and left.

That night at nine, knowing John wouldn’t be home, I called his house and his Dad picked up. I explained to him what his son was planning. He thanked me for letting him know and I hung up. I heard the phone ring and looked at my clock. It was 12 AM. I stumbled to the phone and answered.


“Terry I need you to come and talk to John, he’s blowing me off and you’re the only one that will make an impact on him.”

“Give me three minutes.” I replied.

“Thank you.” I pulled on my jacket and flew out the front door. I looked for the house with a porch light on and jogged up the cracking brick steps. John’s father led me inside and I opened his bedroom door. “John” I said. and he looked up at me with gloomy eyes. I spent three hours trying to convince him to stay out of trouble with the police and to stay home that night. “Man, you really care about me don’t you?”

“I don’t want to see you end up like Jerry.” I said.

After this talk, John started to work hard in school and stayed out of trouble. Months later John’s dad called me asking if I would be able to see John graduate from high school. “Mr. K, I would but I won’t be around to see it, I can’t afford to stay in school so I will be returning home to find work. After a pause, some silence, he responded with  “Don’t worry about it Terry, I will loan you the money to stay in school and you can pay me back once you begin to work.”

Years later, John became the general manager for a manufacturing plant in Angola Indiana.