by Jay Heavner
“So what I wanted to tell you was, Tom, you are either half Cherokee or at least a quarter. Back then, there was kind of a bad stigma in being mixed race, and I know there still is some, but this is something I thought you were ready for. You’re like your mom. Very little of the Indian shows.”
Tom was stunned and said so. He looked at the other pictures in the folder. Each one had his mother in it. Some were with his dad. Some had her with his grandparents. A few were group pictures, and a few were of him with his mother. Tom wanted to tear up when he saw these, but he fought it. The youth didn’t want anyone to think he wasn’t manly. Sissies cried. His father saw this turmoil in Tom but said nothing. He knew what was going on in the young man.
Finally, his dad said, “I’ll leave you here with these for now so you can look at them. I got to get off to work.”
He rose from the table and headed for the door. He grabbed his coat and hat off the clothes pole by the back door. Tom noticed a little tremor in his dad’s right hand. Then, he turned to Tom, and dryly said, “Try to stay out of trouble today.” And with that, he was gone.
Tom’s stomach churned a little. The story must have really shaken up his dad. His dad’s hands had always been so steady and firm. And it seemed his dad knew more than he was saying, or did he? Tom looked at the pictures for another ten minutes or so and then heard the wheels of the black ‘57 Chevy on the dirt and gravel coming up to the house. It stopped around the back, and the driver honked the horn. Tom took one last look at the first picture he’d seen in the folder, the photo of his mother. He sighed and closed the folder. Tom grabbed his coat and ball hat off of the clothes pole and headed out the back door.
“Hey buddy, you look like you seen a ghost. You okay?” questioned the driver.
“Yeah, I’ll be all right. I just heard some surprising news. It’ll all work out somehow. You still want to go through with this?”
“Damn straight. I wouldn’t miss this for the world,” the driver replied.
“Then, let’s do it. I love it when a plan comes together.”
The driver smiled a satisfied grin. “Then, what’s keeping us? Let’s get with it.”
The driver backed up the hotrod, put it in Drive, went down the gravel and dirt driveway, stopped at WV Route 28, waited for a truck heading for Fort Ashby to go by, then turned left toward Cumberland, Maryland, and their day with destiny.
Chapter 3
Saturday, one week earlier.
Tom would be graduating from high school soon, but he was unsure of his plans after that. He’d probably get a job at one of the local factories. The dark-haired beauty he’d been dating was going off to college, and he figured he’d not be seeing much of her once that happened. She’d get her college degree, a B.S. of some sort, and also her Mrs. as so many of the girls he knew would and did.
His life had been a lot more exciting since he had met Johnny Johnson. He’d shown up for classes at Fort Ashby High School at the beginning of the school year. No one seemed to know where he came from. Students were usually seated alphabetically in their classes, and Tom Kenney found himself next to Johnny Johnson. They’d made small talk at first, but over time had become close classmates and friends. One day, Johnny mentioned he had gotten into some minor trouble in North Carolina, and his parents believed it best if he had a change of location for a while. He now lived with his aunt and uncle, who was the mayor of the neighboring town of Ridgeley. Tom wondered why Johnny didn’t go to school at Ridgeley High, but he never asked. All he knew was Johnny always had money for fun and was looking for someone, a co-conspirator, as he laughingly referred to the position Tom had taken as his sidekick. Johnny told him to be ready about 7:00 AM. They’d go over to Cumberland for some fun. Tom was not sure what this fun was, but he knew with Johnny at the helm, there would be excitement.
Johnny showed up at seven in his black, souped-up ’57 Chevy. He had those distinctive tailpipes on his car that made the exhaust rumble, so you’d hear him coming before he actually got there if you had youthful ears, which his dad didn’t. He was rarely late. Tom slipped out of the back door of the old farmhouse. He had left a short note for his dad telling him that he had gone to town with his friend and would be back by lunchtime. His dad had not been feeling well lately and seemed to be sleeping more than he usually did.
Tom opened the passenger’s door to the hot rod and slid into the seat. “You ready for some fun?” asked Johnny.
“Yeah, answered Tom. “Let the good times roll.”
The two young men made small talk as they roared toward Cumberland. They talked about school, girls, cars, what to do after graduation that, and other things that fill a 17-year-old male’s mind. There was a lot of talk about girls, especially the ones they’d heard were easy.
They crossed the bridge over the Potomac River and proceeded to the South End Donut and Bagel Shop in the commercial area on Industrial Boulevard. Johnny pulled the car into the parking lot, but away from the store near the busy street.
“So this is the big fun surprise you had?” snickered Tom. “Coffee and donuts. You’ve made the big leagues.”
“You just wait. You remember those two booger eatin’ useless flatfoot cops I was telling you about that harassed me anytime they found me over here across the river?”
Tom nodded. “What have you got in mind?”
“Today, I’m getting even. Did you see those big rubber bumper guards I put on the back?”
”Yeah, I saw them. I wondered what they were for.”
“Revenge, sweet revenge.” Tom saw a black and white Cumberland Police Car pulling into the parking lot.
“Duck! It’s them!” The patrol car pulled up to the front door directly behind the black Chevy. The two cops exited the vehicle and reappeared shortly, each carrying a monster cup of steaming coffee and three donuts. “Those guys are so predictable,” chuckled Johnny. Now the fun begins.”
Tom smiled at Johnny. This should be good. Johnny started the car. He watched as the cops opened their coffee cups and began to take bites out of the donuts.
“It don’t git no better than this,” Johnny said with a satisfying grin that ran from ear to ear. Slowly, he backed his Chevy up until it was almost touching the cop car. He let his foot off the brake, and it nudged the other car slightly. The cops were startled and spilled some of their coffee on themselves. Johnny put the car in drive and put about two feet of space between the two vehicles. At that point, he threw the car into reverse and gave the engine some gas. BAM!!! The two cars hit together, and coffee and donuts went flying everywhere in the patrol car. Loud curses could be heard coming from the car, and then the shout, “It’s him!!”
“That’s our clue to leave,” Johnny said with some sarcasm.
Tom pleaded, “what are we goin’ to do now?’
“Trust me. I have a plan.”
“It better be a good one. Those cops are madder than wet hornets.”
Before the cops had time to recover and begin their pursuit in earnest, Johnny weaved quickly through the many side streets and alleys in South Cumberland. “They’ll never find us,” he chuckled. And then he looked at Tom. “See, I told you we’d have some fun.”
Wide-eyed, Tom looked back and blurted out, “You’re crazy! You’re certifiable!”
“Yeah, I know, but you got to admit it was sure fun.”
A big smile came to Tom’s face. “It sure was.”
Johnny continued to drive around the bowels of Cumberland’s back streets. He parked the car under a tree that overhung a lightly traveled side street.
“Where did you learn to drive like that?” Tom asked.
“I might as well tell you. I trust you can keep a secret. My family in the North Carolina hills makes moonshine. We run it to the bars in Charlotte and Atlanta. And the cops don’t like that, so sometimes you need a hot car and driving skills to outrun, outmaneuver, and outthink them. I’d been running a lot of loads for my paw, and the cops were breathing down my neck, so
he thought it would be a good idea if I left town for a while. His brother is my Uncle Bob, also known as the Mayor of Ridgeley. Capisce?”
“Wow, you sure are full of surprises. I think I have had enough for today. Let’s go home.”
Johnny replied, “Sounds good to me.” He started the car and was soon heading in the direction of Wiley Ford, West Virginia. They went down Virginia Avenue and passed a patrol car parked in a side lot.
A curse rolled from Johnny’s lips. “It’s them, and they’ve seen us!”
The patrol car carrying two, mad, coffee-soaked cops pulled onto the streets after them. “What are you gonna do?” Tom said.
“Head for the state line. It’s only a half-mile away, and they won’t pursue us then.”
Johnny sped up, but the cops did too, and now the boys in blue had their lights and siren on. They crossed the bridge over the Potomac that makes the state line, but the two, mad, wet cops kept coming. Tom had been watching the cop car. He turned to Johnny, “What are you gonna do now?!?”
“I got a plan.” The car roared down the road with the cops right behind. They took the banked turn in front of Snyder’s Grocery and headed for Ridgeley on Alternate Route 28. The two cars roared over a hill, down the other side, through several turns, and headed north on the snaking but relatively straight but narrow road. Ridgeley was two miles ahead.
Johnny picked up the hand-held microphone to the CB radio that hung from under the center dashboard. “Breaker 271, this is Cisco Kid. Do you read me?”
“We read you loud and clear. What’s your 20?”
“Coming into town on the mountain road with two bandits hot on my tail. Requesting assistance. Over.”
“Roger that. We’ll be expecting you soon at the high school. Over.”
“Roger that. ETA in two minutes and coming in very hot.”
“We’ll be there to welcome you.”
Tom looked at Johnny and said, “We are so dead. Man. We are so dead.”
“Trust me,” Johnny said. “It’ll all work out.”
The two cars continued to roar down the narrow road. Neither slowed down when they hit the 25 mph zone at the town limits. They sped through the sleepy little town to the high school where Johnny turned a quick right through the six-foot fence that surrounded the campus. He slid to a halt with the cops right behind them.
The cops jumped out of their car with guns drawn. “On the ground! Hands on your backs,” they shouted.
The two boys did as they were told. Johnny had a smirk on his face, but Tom was so scared he thought he’d wet himself. The Cumberland cops handcuffed the two and set them on the ground. They had satisfied looks on their faces. At that time, two Ridgeley Police cars appeared. The first pulled into the lot, and the second blocked the gate to the street.
The two Ridgeley cops got out of their cars and walked up to the Cumberland cops. The first Ridgeley cop said with a little sarcasm, “You boys are a little out of your jurisdiction, ain’t you?”
“We were in hot pursuit,” came the curt reply.
“So I heard. Your bosses are sure gonna wanna hear about this. Hot pursuit across state lines, not notifying anyone of that, and recklessly endangering only God knows how many lives with your actions. I think it would be in your best interest if you just turn this all over to us so we, who are the proper authorities, can handle it. You just move along. We’ll handle this proper-like here, and try to forget you-alls was ever here.”
Tom looked at Johnny, who was trying not to grin with little success. Maybe this was going to work out. The cops had a heated argument for several minutes, but the Ridgeley cops weren’t budging. And they had the Cumberland cops boxed in. Finally, the cops from across the river realized they were in a no-win situation. They walked over to the boys and removed the handcuffs. They then got into their patrol car and drove to the entrance. One Ridgeley cop slowly sauntered to his vehicle blocking the gate. He got in, started it, and moved it out of the way. The Cumberland patrol car drove out onto the street. The one in the passenger seat looked back and saw Johnny waving goodbye to them. Even at this distance, Tom could see an angry scowl on his face. The police car disappeared down the city street toward Cumberland.
One of the two remaining cops came over to the two boys. He addressed Johnny. “You sure stepped in it this time.”
“Ah, Uncle Joe, we was just havin’ some fun.”
“Fun? You could have got yourselves killed or worst. Fun? We haven’t been on good terms with the Cumberland cops, and this ain’t gonna help one bit. I hope we can keep a lid on this, and it doesn’t blow up in our faces. Get outta here before I do something rash!”
Johnny said nothing more. He motioned for Tom to get in the car, which he did. Johnny started the car and drove out onto the street. Tom saw the two cops putting their heads together, and he could tell that they were working on a cover story for this whole episode. They drove up the mountain road toward Wiley Ford in silence that continued all the way to Tom’s house. They pulled into the driveway. Tom got out of the car and looked back at Johnny. Before Tom could say anything, Johnny started, “I told you it was gonna be fun.”
There was a pregnant pause, and then Johnny asked, “You still gonna be my friend?”
“I’ll think about it,” he replied. Tom turned his back on Johnny and started toward the house. He took two steps and then turned around.
“You’re one wild and crazy guy,” Tom said straight-faced. Then he smiled, “Let the good times roll, ole buddy. Let the good times roll. See you at school on Monday.”
“All right!” Johnny exclaimed. “Let the good times roll.” With that, he put the souped-up Chevy in reverse and backed up in the driveway. He shifted to drive and disappeared down the driveway to Route 28.
Tom thought, Nothing mild and tame about that guy. He could get me in all kinds of trouble if we’re not careful. I hope my dad never finds out. But like so many young men that age, he was already addicted to the rush the excitement gave him, and he knew it. It would take an extra-large dose of reality to bring him back down to Planet Earth.
Chapter 4
Johnny showed up in his hot rod ’57 Chevy the following Saturday at the old farmhouse Tom called home. It was early, and Tom knew Johnny had something big planned, but he wasn’t sure what. Johnny had been dropping hints about it all week at school. “Fun,” he said. “It’ll be a time to remember.”
Tom was interested, but just a little scared too after the car chase with the Cumberland cops last week. His dad had not said anything about it directly in his talk with Tom, so he felt maybe he’d dodged the bullet. Tom closed the door to the house, walked out to Johnny’s car, and got in. “So, you got something big up your sleeve for today?”
“Damn straight. After today, those flatfoots will leave us alone.”
“I got a bad feeling about this, but let’s go.”
The teenage adrenaline was definitely flowing freely in the two young men.
“All right! You won’t forget this day!”
How right he was. With that, the young men were off. They passed down the twisting, turning road needing straightening and improvement for decades known as WV Route 28. Traffic was light. It seemed the area population was slow in rising on that weekend morn. The boys soon crossed the bridge at Wiley Ford and proceeded through the part of town known as South Cumberland. Johnny took a right off of Virginia Avenue onto Industrial Boulevard. It was not long before he pulled into the parking lot of the donut shop where they had begun their adventure, or maybe a better word would be escapade or fiasco with the Cumberland Police a week ago. He parked the car in a distant out-of-the-way part of the lot. Tom looked at Johnny with apprehension. “Just what have you got in mind?” he asked.
“I’m gonna teach those coppers a lesson they will never forget. I’ve been planning this all week. I’m gonna get them to chase us down the boulevard to Mexico Farms. There’s a dirt road that turns off, and near the river, it forks just over a small hill.
The right fork goes to a fishin’ hole, and the left fork goes to a plowed field. It ain’t nothin’ but muddy soup after that last rain we had. They’ll be chasing us, and we take the right fork and stop right there. The cops will have to take the left fork to avoid hitting us. The hill will keep them from seeing the trap. When they go flying left, they’ll get buried axle-deep in that muddy field. It will work like a charm. What could go wrong?”
Tom did not immediately answer, and there was a pregnant pause in the car. “You are still in, aren’t you?” asked Johnny. “You can get out now if you want to, but you’ll miss all the fun. Yah, what could go wrong?”
Tom shook his head. “Yeah, I’m in. I must be crazy, but like you said, ‘what could go wrong?’”
“All right! Let the good times roll!”
The two boys kept a keen eye on the four-lane highway in front of the donut shop. About ten minutes later, a Cumberland Police car pulled into the parking lot. There were two cops in it, the same two who had chased the boys last Saturday. “Right on time and just as planned,” Johnny said with a satisfied grin on his face.
The cops parked their car in the handicapped spot in front of the store and went in. Johnny started the Chevy and moved it to a place in another row directly behind the police car. The boys slid down in their seats. Several minutes later, the cops emerged, each with a fist full of donuts and a large coffee. With their hands full, they had some difficulty opening the doors and getting into the car without dropping or spilling their treasures. The two boys watched as the cops chowed down on the goodies. Johnny looked over at Tom. “Time for some fun.” Tom grinned at Johnny, who smiled back.