A Glimpse Of Tomorrow

by K. T. Martina

His slumber, however, would be cut short again at 6:00 am, although he had no watch or clock or cell phone to tell him what time it was. The lights, whether on a timer or manually operated, turned on in his cell. He sat up and wiped the sleep from his face, inadvertently forcing his fast food breath right up his nose and he cringed. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw two figures stop outside his cell door. There was a loud Click, Click and the door slid open. There in the door way stood Chuck, the officer from the previous day and Max, the biker nurse from the hospital with two dozen bracelets on each of his hairy thick forearms.

  “Well, well, well, Mr. Foster.” He said with pseudo distain. “You are literally the last person I would have ever thought would end up here.”

  “Max?”

  “Good, I wasn’t sure if you’d remember me, considering the circumstances of our last encounter.”

  “Ya I remember you, and by the way, thanks for the meatball sandwich.”

  Chuck looked at the burger king bag and then at Max, “The what?”

  “Nothing,” said Max walking into the room.

  “So what do I owe the pleasure of your company to?”

  “Medical assessment - if they plan to execute you, you need to be in good health.”

  Nathan shifted back on the bunk, “What?”

  Max laughed loudly, “Just kidding, just making sure you’re not going to give anyone hep C or TB or anything.” He pulled out a digital thermometer from a small box in his hand. “So, what brings you here?”

  Nathan explained about making an example of the Mercer boys and then how they had come up with charges to get him arrested.

  “You know that woman’s fury thing they say, I think its teenagers you gotta watch even more.” Said laughing at his own comedy.

  “Ya, well, my attorney is going to talk with them and their dad about it and see what he can do.”

  “Billy Joe? He’s going to the farm to see Billy Joe?”

  “Ya, I guess so.”

  “I sure hope that works, but, that place gives me the creeps.”

  “Well that says a lot coming from someone like you.”

  Max stopped making notes on Nathan’s file, “What’s that supposed to mean?” He looked at Chuck, “Do I really look that creepy?”

  “No that’s not what I meant.” Nathan said but they ignored him.

  “I wouldn’t say you’re creepy, but, you know how these convicts get. They do some time and they become cold heartless monsters.”

  “Come on, that’s not what I meant.”

  Max pretended to wipe his eyes. “Don’t they know we have feelings too?”

  “I’m so glad that my incarceration brings you so much joy.” Nathan said.

  “Oh relax, I’m the guy everyone wants to see, but only a select few do.”

  “Why, what makes me so lucky to see you?”

  “You're getting out. Your attorney already talked with the boys yesterday evening and they recanted their statements. So, it looks like you're out and they’re in. False police statements are pretty serious.” He said placing a blood pressure cuff on Nathan’s arm.”

  “How serious?” Nathan asked.

  “It depends on their past and the DA.”

  When they finished, Max escorted Nathan to the property locker to retrieve his belongings and ran into Detective Yoon in the hall.

  “Sorry about yesterday, I need to be tough with suspects so they don’t take my being a woman for granted.”

  “No problem, I get it.” He paused, “But can I ask you a question.”

  “Sure.” She said expecting something trivial.

  “Did you think I did what they said I did?”

  She looked at Max and then at Nathan, “No, not really. You stayed calm, your eyes said you were being truthful and my gut said you didn’t do it, but I have to cover every angle. You know.”

  “Ya, I know.” They went their separate ways but his thoughts were with her. She seemed so damaged and guarded that he wondered if she was just another of the millions that had been crushed by someone. He would have to look into that one.

  “Mr. Foster?” A voice called from behind him. He turned and saw Phillip Baker.

  “Mr. Baker.”

  “I trust they treated you well during your stay?” He said with venom.

  Nathan couldn’t believe that this guy still had an attitude with him. The boys cleared his name and this is the apology he gets for being drug out of work and thrown in jail. Who in the world does this guy think he is? But he held his tongue. “Better than expected.” Nathan said completely serious.

  “Good, then you won’t mind hanging around for a little bit longer. Would you?”

  “Why what’s wrong now?”

  “Do you know Thaddeus Boudreaux?”

  “I do. What’s wrong?” Nathan asked almost certain of where this line of questions was going.

  “Have you been to Thaddeus’ home lately?”

  “Yes, what are you doing now, Mr. Baker?” Nathan said getting irritated at the man.

  “I just have some questions for you is all.”

  “Why don’t you ask me instead?” Said Bernard

  “Hey Bernard, good to see you again.” Nathan said, holding back from laughing at the expression on Phillip Baker’s face.

  “Ok,” Phillip said, why don’t you ask your client about endangering the welfare of a child? Or better yet, three children!” Phillip Yelled

  “Are you insane?” Nathan yelled back.

  “Give me a minute with Mr. Baker while you get your things.” Bernard said.

  Nathan, obviously upset at the nerve of Phillip Baker, trying to get him arrested again followed Max to the locker and gathered his things and took them to the changing room. When he immerged in his own clothes he had settled down some.

  Max took the pumpkin suit and tossed it in a laundry basket. “You ok now?” He asked.

  “Ya.” Nathan replied lashing his watch to his wrist. “This guy is just a thorn in my side.”

  “I know, but let’s see if we can get this straightened out before you go.”

  “Fine.”

  Max brought Nathan to the room where Phillip and Bernard were having a rather heated discussion.

  Phillip looked at Nathan with pure contempt. “You!” He said pointing at Nathan. “People like you are why children get hurt and even die. What gives you the right to interfere in their lives the way you do. It’s criminal.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “I know that Thaddeus’ mother left and so did his father. You tried to cover it up and left him in charge of his brother and sister just to keep them out of foster care. We know how to care for these kids better than you do Mr. Foster. And I will be bringing charges against you. I hope you rot in prison. I don’t know how you did it but, just because you got the first set of charges dropped, and those boys to change their story doesn’t mean that I won’t nail you for whatever comes across my desk.”

  “Mr. Baker, you really need to get your facts straight. Or look for a different line of work.” He said before turning to his attorney. “Can I borrow your bible?” Nathan asked Bernard.

  Bernard saw that Nathan was on a roll and he wasn’t about to intervene so he reached in his briefcase and pulled out the well-warn black bible from the previous day and handed it to Nathan.

  “What now?” Mr. Baker hissed.

  Nathan flipped through the pages till he got to the book of James and set the book in front of Phillip. “I assume you don’t have one of these so you can use this one.” He pointed to a scripture. Then he began to recite aloud, “James 1:27 - Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.” He paused and calmed himself, “Thaddeus’s mother didn’t leave them; she went into rehab to get clean. Or would it be better for the children to be raised by an alcoholic. Th
ey were fed and well cared for. The children got baths and food and love. Also they weren’t left alone; there was an army of people, all volunteers from our church I might add, that stayed with them till she came home.” He looked at the tiny date on his watch. “Which, by the way Mr. Baker, was yesterday? Can you or your precious foster care system say they can do that?”

  Phillip looked up as if he had just been slapped in the face. He said nothing as he looked at the men in the room.

  “Looks to me like Nathan Foster’s foster system works a little better than yours does Mr. Baker.” Max said once again laughing at his witty play on words.

  Max, Bernard and Nathan stood with their arms crossed and Bernard said, “Will there be anything else Mr. Baker?”

  He cleared his dried throat and replied, “No,” as he stood up and began to leave the room. “If you are really trying to help these kids, and you haven’t done what has been said, then someone’s really out to get you Mr. Foster.”

  Nathan smiled, “I know, isn’t it awesome.”

  Mr. Baker shook his head and left without another word.

  The three men walked out to the front office only to see Bill with a goofy grin in his face. “Can’t leave you for a second.” he said shaking his head slowly.

  “Can you just give me a ride home?”

  “No can do buddy. We need to make a quick stop first.”

  Nathan shook hands with Bernard, “Thanks for everything.”

  “You're welcome, but you really need to thank my granddaughter.”

  “Who is your granddaughter?”

  “Amanda, Amanda King. She came by your house looking for Pastor Bill. You talked about her being Cinderella I believe.”

  “Ya.” Nathan smiled. “I know who she is. How is she doing anyway?”

  “You wouldn’t believe it.”

  Nathan turned to Max. “I guess I owe you some thanks too.”

  “You’re welcome Mr. Foster.”

  “Nathan,” he corrected. My friends call me Nathan.”

  Nathan and Bill left the police station and Nathan requested to go to the court house to see the DA to talk about the Mercer boys. After two hours of waiting in the office, they finally met Calvin Dunn, Deputy DA. Nathan and Bill both agreed that he and MR. Baker must be related because of his pompous attitude and unwillingness to hear anything in defense of the Mercer boys.

  The two men decided that this wasn’t the time or the place to debate the topic so they left and drove to Nathan’s house to get him cleaned up. He showered and put on fresh clothes, and a little after shave. Bill was acting uncharacteristically pushy, telling Nathan to hurry up three or four times.

  Chapter 19