“That’s all?” Dan asked.
“Yeah, that pretty much sums it up. Now, do you guys feel better?” Jett asked.
They nodded.
“You just had us worried, that’s all,” Matt said.
Jett smiled.
“Now you know how I feel when you two step out on a football field. Now whaddya say? Let’s go find the ladies and Bud,” Jett said.
Alicia slowly looked around the tiny apartment as walked through.
***
“It hasn’t changed much,” she said. “I can almost see your dad napping on the couch with an open book next to him in the floor.”
Maggie smiled.
“Dad liked to lay face down on the couch and read from books he placed in the floor next to him,” she explained to Linda Sue.
“That sounds...uncomfortable,” she said.
“It was. That’s why he did it – it helped him stay awake when he read late at night,” Maggie said.
“Maggie’s dad was a wonderful man but he had his quirks,” Alicia said.
“And you could not convince him he was wrong,” Bud said.
“He was stubborn but you know what? He was usually right,” Alicia said.
“I know. He used to drive me nuts,” Bud said as checked around the windows.
“What are you doing?” Maggie asked.
“Just double checking to see if these things need to be caulked. When summer gets here, this apartment gets hot. Little leaks here and there add up and make a difference in the room temperature,” he explained.
“Wow. It’s still here,” Alicia said.
“What’s that?” Bud asked.
“The dent in the sheetrock,” she said.
Bud grinned. “Well, I made Jett and J.D. patch it but I never saw a reason to do any more than that since everybody usually hangs a picture there,” he said.
Alicia ran her hand over the indention in the wall and smiled softly.
“What happened there?” Linda Sue asked.
Alicia stifled a laugh.
“There was a fight here once many years ago - this is the last remaining evidence. Actually it wasn’t much of a fight. The wall got the worst of it,” Bud said.
“Who had a fight?” Maggie asked.
“It’s kind of hard to explain...but your dad and Jett did,” Alicia said with a giggle.
“Dad and Uncle Jett? I thought they were best friends,” Maggie asked confused.
“They were. In fact, they were like brothers,” Alicia said.
“And brothers sometimes fight,” Bud added.
“What could have been so bad to cause them to fight?” Linda Sue asked.
“A simple little board game,” Jett said as he and his sons walked in.
“What?” Dan asked.
“You fought Uncle J.D. over a game?” Matt asked.
Jett nodded sheepishly as Alicia continued to giggle and Bud rolled his eyes.
“This is what happens when you combine an ultra-competitive personality and a smart ass that thinks it’s funny to cheat late in a game that’s lasted three days,” Bud said.
All eyes turned to Jett.
“Four of us – me, J.D., Al Anderson, and Buck Stuart – had been playing this game off and on for three days. Before the last session, J.D. got together with the other two and they agreed to cheat to get me out of the game. It was a hot summer and none of us were sleeping, so nerves were on end,” Jett said.
“And?” Matt asked.
“I caught J.D. slipping one of the guys a stack of bills from the bank and I went off. It was under control until he flipped the board and declared himself the winner,” Jett said.
“What happened then?” Maggie asked.
“I took a swing at him, missed, and made a hole in the wall. J.D. kept moving and taunting me. Al and Buck, grabbed me and held me until I calmed down,” Jett said.
“And then you calmed down and made up,” Dan said.
Alicia laughed again. “Not hardly.”
“No, Al walked out of here with me to get me as far away as possible. Buck stayed here with J.D. trying to make him stop talking. He was mad that I took a swing at him – imagine that. Al pretty much had to drag me out of here. He talked me into going to his favorite place on earth – at the time anyway – the City Drug Store. We go in and who’s there but your mom and Rose,” Jett said to Maggie.
“When Al said Jett tried to kill J.D. I really wasn’t surprised. Your dad loved to get under people’s skin – that’s part of what later made him a successful attorney,” Alicia said.
“But Rose looked devastated. She even had tears in her eyes. And then Al told them what happened and in a moment of great compassion and understanding, they started laughing,” Jett said.
“We had to – it was funny. Of all people and of all the reasons in the world. It was so silly, it was hilarious,” Alicia said.
“Then they walked back over here with me, Al, and his giant chocolate shake. By that time we had all calmed down and it was over,” Jett said.
“Not quite. There was a gaping hole in the drywall you two had to repair,” Bud said.
“Actually, Al did most of the work. Speaking of Al, I ran into him earlier. He’s the new chief of police. He takes over officially tomorrow,” Jett said.
“I knew McKinley was stepping down; I hadn’t heard who was taking his place. How does he look?” Bud asked.
“Bigger than ever,” Jett said.
“Was he in the police department SUV?” Matt asked.
“Yes he was. Why do you ask?” Jett asked.
“I saw him a little bit ago going down Donahue Street,” Matt said as Dan and Maggie both turned red while Linda Sue struggled to suppress a smile.
“He and I are supposed to meet for lunch over at the drug store tomorrow. If you feel like it why don’t you join us – both of you,” Jett said to Alicia and Bud.
“Who picked the drug store?” Bud asked.
“He did,” Jett said.
“Sounds like it still might be his favorite place on earth,” Alicia said.
Bud snorted.
“I’d love for you boys to meet him. He’s a really good guy,” Jett said.
“I’m sure he’d love to meet you too honey. He was a good friend of your dad,” Alicia said to Maggie.
She just nodded and said, “Okay, yeah, I’d like that.”
“You’ll get a chance to get to know him pretty well – the police beat will be part of your job,” Jett said.
Maggie’s face went from red to nearly pale.
“I suppose I will,” she said.
“I’d love to meet him. How about you Dan? Wouldn’t you like to meet the new chief of police?” Matt asked as Linda Sue took the opportunity to walk across the room and check out the view of the side window.
“Uh, yeah. He sounds like a nice guy. So talk to us about this dream journal idea of yours,” Dan said.
“Why don’t we go back downstairs and sit in my nice air conditioned den while you talk to them about this idea of yours?” Bud asked.
“That sounds like a good idea. We can get comfortable, maybe get something to drink, and discuss this,” Jett said.
A few minutes later, the whole group sat around the den. Linda Sue and Matt sat on the love seat while Bud, Alicia, and Maggie sat on the couch while Dan perched on the arm next Maggie. Jett sat in the chair facing the group.
“Essentially what I want you guys to do is keep a journal of your dreams and your days. Every morning – regardless of what the dream was about – write it down, along with your thoughts and feelings concerning that dream. Every night before you go to sleep, write down the all of the emotions and feelings you experienced that day,” Jett said.
“What exactly are you looking for?” Maggie asked.
Bud looked at her thoughtfully.
“Nice question,” he said.
“We’re looking for a trend. Which dreams correlate with which emotions? Does one dream relate to anot
her? These types of things,” Alicia said.
“And what do you hope to learn once all of this research is gathered?” Matt asked.
Jett chuckled.
“To be honest...we don’t know. That’s the whole point of this exercise - to see what we can learn - if anything from dreams,” he said.
“This is really not my field but the study of dreams has been something I’ve been interested in for years. When Jett called for advice on this project, I couldn’t wait to get involved,” Alicia said.
“That explains the hurry to get here,” Dan said.
Matt made a face as to say, “I understand.”
“You boys act like you had a conspiracy theory in mind,” Bud said.
“Not a conspiracy...just worried that’s all,” said Dan.
“Can I ask a question? Because so many of you are related or have shared so many life experiences, doesn’t that skew the research?” Linda Sue asked.
“If this was the only group yes it would. But there are other groups – people of various ages, education levels, and even locations,” Alicia said.
“Lexington, Louisville, and several rural areas across the state from the Eastern Coalfields to the Western are all being represented,” Jett said.
Matt whistled.
“Man, this isn’t going to be cheap,” he said.
“I don’t mind footing the bill. Besides, Alicia is donating her time, it’s the least I can do,” Bud said not only adding to the lie but making it sound more believable.
“And who knows? We all might learn something,” Jett said.
Matt looked at his watch.
“We need to go. I promised your dad we would be at church tonight and if we don’t leave now, we’ll be late,” he said.
“But Dan and Maggie rode with us,” Linda Sue said.
“We’ll be fine,” Maggie said.
“We don’t mind walking,” Dan said.
“How nice. We’ll have company on the way back to your house,” Alicia said to Jett as Maggie and Dan looked at each other as though to ask a question.
Chapter Eight
As they crossed the Edward Evans Memorial Bridge on their way to Crystal Heights, Matt and Linda Sue discussed the events of the day.
“You must be feeling better, now that you know what’s going on with your dad,” she said.
“Relieved anyway. But I am surprised by this dream journal idea,” he said.
“Why? I think it’s an intriguing idea. I think a lot of people will be interested in the results of the research,” Linda Sue.
“It’s just...I don’t know, so unlike dad to want to do something like that - and be that excited about it. I mean, dreams, really? Audit reports, crime rates, election fraud – that’s the kind of thing dad does articles about; that’s what he devotes a whole series of articles to – not dreams,” Matt said.
“Oh my. Are you ready to come up with another theory about your dad’s behavior?” She asked.
Matt opened his mouth to say something but no words came out. He stopped and reflected for a moment.
“You’re right. I’m letting my imagination run wild again. Dad said he’s fine and I believe him,” Matt said.
“I hope so because I do too. You know it could be that he’s seen enough of those things you mentioned. Crystal Springs is far from perfect but it will never match Lexington in excitement levels of anything. In lieu of that missing excitement, maybe he’s trying to develop a series of articles that are simply more interesting to both the average reader as well as himself – just a thought,” Linda Sue said.
“I think I need to think less and listen to you more often,” Matt said as he patted her hand.
***
As the foursome of Jett, Alicia, Dan, and Maggie walked back toward Donahue Street, the two parents could not resist pointing out landmarks and memorable spots of their youth.
“See that building?” Jett asked as he pointed to a vacant store front in between Duncan’s Antiques and Frank’s Finance Company. “At one time that was one of the most popular spots in this whole town,” he said.
“What was it?” Maggie asked.
“Olen’s Arcade and Game Room,” Alicia said.
“Keep in mind that back in the day, people didn’t have gaming systems on their televisions or cell phones and computers. Olen’s gave college and high students something to do,” Jett said.
As they walked, Alicia pointed out a parking lot on the corner of Main and Wallace Streets.
“A gas station used to be there - one of the old fashioned types that featured a garage as well as full service gas pumps, even after self-service became the norm,” she said.
“Ducky’s Garage,” Jett said.
Alicia smiled.
“I had forgotten the name of it. J.D. used to love to go hang out in there from time to time. Seems like it was always full of city and county workers from policemen to street crews,” she said.
“It was. It was also home to the biggest bookie in Fuson County – one Clarence ‘Ducky’ Jensen,” Jett said.
“And he never got busted?” Dan asked.
“Who was going to bust him? All of the cops in the city and county placed bets with Ducky. Most of the elected officials placed bets there too. Ducky gave odds on everything from football to elections to trial verdicts,” Jett explained.
“And people actually bet on those things?” Maggie asked.
“There were people that made a living placing bets there - or at least tried to make a living. In fact, I only knew of two people that consistently won bets with Ducky – Bud and J.D.,” Jett answered.
“And he was quite a colorful character too,” Alicia said.
“Yes he was,” Jett agreed.
“What do you mean?” Dan asked.
“He was about 5’5 weighed close to 300 pounds, openly carried two pistols - one his hip and one in a shoulder holster. Of course he almost had to: Ducky kept $10,000 cash on himself at all times,” Jett said.
“And had maybe five teeth in his head,” Alicia said.
“Sounds like a real charmer,” Maggie said.
“Whatever happened to him?” Dan asked.
“He had a heart attack and died in prison. He tried to branch out into bootlegging later in life. Ducky bought a car lot and sold liquor out of his garage. Buyers would stop at one end place their order and pay – cash only naturally. They’d drive to the other end of the garage where they would pick up their merchandise,” Jett explained.
“Drive-thru service,” Dan said.
“Exactly. But Ducky got all of his cars from places that had liquor stores – Lexington, Louisville, Knoxville, Nashville, etc. He paid high school kids to go pick them up. Of course the trunk would be loaded down with liquor. What got him busted was one of the kids was bringing a car back from Lexington. He was caught speeding on I-75 just outside of London. The state police chased him all the way to the state line where he was intercepted by the Tennessee Highway Patrol near Jellico. Faced with felony evasion, the kid cut a deal. He wore a wire and with the information gathered from that, authorities managed to prosecute Ducky and most of his family,” Jett added,” And the real shame of it was that the car lot turned out to be wildly successful but that all went away when he was arrested.”
“Did you cover the trial?” Maggie asked.
Jett chuckled.
“I was working in Lexington then. I covered the arrest, the trial, the appeal, and his release,” he said.
“I thought you said he died in prison,” Dan said.
“He did. When Ducky was released a few years later, he claimed to have found the Lord while he was pulling 30 days in solitary confinement for allegedly stabbing a fellow inmate. They couldn’t prove Ducky did it, so eventually they released him on parole. He even pastored his own church for a while. Turns out he forged the deed so the rightful owners disputed the deed and sued. When the case went to court Ducky naturally lost. The actual owners immediately claimed the property i
mmediately and found the basement of the Holy Ghost Full Gospel Evangelical Church stacked full of cases of liquor. They also found ledgers and other records of bootlegging. Brother Ducky went back to prison where he died a month later,” Jett said.
A couple of Ducky stories later, the four of them walked up the steps to the front porch of the Bradley house.
“I forgot what it was like to walk like that and we used to do it every day,” Alicia said as they walked inside.
“Makes you appreciate your car...and air conditioning,” Jett said as he sat down in the recliner and Alicia sat at the end of the couch.
Dan and Maggie sat down on the love seat and looked at each other nervously as they did. Maggie – as was her habit – chewed on her bottom lip.
Dan cleared his throat softly.
“Could we...uh, talk to you?” He asked.
Alicia and Jett gave each other a glance.
“Always son,” Jett said.
“What’s on your mind?” Alicia asked.
Dan and Maggie looked at each other again.
“Well...uh...we had something we wanted to talk to you about,” Dan said.
Jett raised an eyebrow.
“Yes, son, I think we’ve established that,” he said.
Alicia looked down in an effort to hide her smile as Maggie looked at Dan pleadingly.
“You see...the thing is...the only way to say it is to just come out with it,” Dan said.
“Please take this in the spirit in which it is intended, but I really wish you would,” Jett said as Alicia looked down again.
“I’m in love with Maggie and have been for a long time,” Dan finally blurted out.
Alicia and Jett looked at each other half-amused as Maggie placed her hand inside of Dan’s.
“And I love Danny...and have for a long time,” she said.
Jett nodded politely and held out his hand to Alicia, offering her the floor.
“I see,” she said, trying to suppress another smile.
“I know this is kind of sudden and it’s a surprise,” Dan said.
Jett gave him a look of disbelief and Alicia could not contain a laugh.
“Do you want to break it to them or shall I do the honors?” Jett asked.
“Please,” Alicia said holding out her hand to yield the floor. “He’s your son. He’s definitely your son,” Alicia said.
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