New Voices 004 July-August 2018 (Short Story Fiction Anthology)

Ham & Chaz-3

JEAN WAS BACK BY NIGHTFALL. He brought us both some ice cream in pints. We ate it as he walked us over to a nearby truck stop that had shower facilities. Hami went first, and I caught up Jean on how it went that day. I went next, then Jean was in for his.

I didn't have much to say to Hami, nor she to me. Tired, too tired to say anything.

But she looked over at me with her eyes. Those hazel eyes of hers set off against her deep red hair always got my attention, even when she was a little girl at the festivals. Not that she couldn't lead most of the boys around just by her looks alone.

While I was remembering our years of growing up, she just moved over and hugged me.

My surprise was evident. Not that I didn't like it, I just wasn't expecting it.

"That's for staying cool today. You really kept it together. All I had to watch out for was your elbows. Those patties were almost flying out of there on their own. Thanks."

I was speechless. "Well, you did good, too."

She just smiled and went back to leaning her shoulders and hips against the brick wall and combing out her long red hair.

"Boy, I hope the rest of the days aren't as bad." I said to no one in particular.

Jean surprised me by answering. "Some will be worse. But you both did real good today. I'm proud of you and your parents will be, too. We helped a lot of people today."

Jean smiled at both of us. "Ready?"

We walked back to the truck. It was dark and late. You could still hear the traffic, and occasional music blaring out of someone's open car or truck windows. Still humid, still gritty. Far from the open fields and graveled roads of home.

VITHE NEXT COUPLE OF weeks went by too quickly.

Uncle Jean gave us lessons at night after our showers, when we felt more refreshed and awake again. He taught us to pull from within ourselves to change the world around us.

One night, a gang showed up. They drove by us as we were walking, and then came back, and parked ahead of us - on the wrong side of that street. About five of them, in one car. One stood on the sidewalk ahead of us, just waiting. The others fanned out for an ambush.

But the closer we came, the more agitated they got. And sicker. If they moved off, they felt better. But the last one, the leader, tried to stay the course right in front of us. He wanted something.

Sad for him, all he got was a bad case of up-chucks, right behind his own car. Lucky he missed it.

We just kept walking.

Jean told us, after we were out of their earshot. "All that martial arts training wasn't so you could get into fights and kick butts all over town. It was to learn your own self-control. What you saw back there was just an inkling of how you can affect the environment around you. And there's only one defense against something that powerful."

We walked on for a little bit. Finally the suspense was just too much.

So I asked, "OK what is it?"

Uncle Jean just looked at me with a side-wise glance. "Hami, what's the secret to your cooking? There's some ingredient you use that only master chefs ever really learn. Usually something they can only get by cooking with their mother or grandmother..."

Chaz was hanging on this one.

I stopped walking and they both stopped with me while I figured it out. I knew that something, and knew what it was, but I never had to put it into words before. It was just “something”. Like the look on my Mom's face when I got the recipe just right. Usually with a big hug, no matter what was on the front of our aprons.

Then it hit me. "Love?"

Jean smiled. Chaz lit up like a light bulb.

"Of course. Love!" I was dumbfounded not to think about it that way before. "Chaz, those kind were the best burgers you ever served at the festivals. The ones that went to your friends and family. Tasted the best, gave you the longest lasting full stomach and never an upset one. It's not on any recipe anywhere. And I've studied lots of them."

Jean put his arms around the two of us and we started walking again. I put mine around his shoulders and Chaz put his on top of mine.

Big smiles all around.

And sleep came easy that night.

Except for one dream.

VII"HAMI, WAKE UP - WAKE up." Chaz was shaking me. Or I was shaking and he was trying to get it to stop.

I sat up from my place on the floorboards of the van and grabbed onto him with both arms, like I didn't want to let go.

He turned and sat beside me and held on as well.

"What was that all about? The whole truck was shaking. And we could feel it out there."

"You two OK?" Jean was in the doorway, looking in at us.

"Now we are," I told him. "Just a very bad dream." I stroked Hami's hair to help her calm down. She softened and leaned against me.

"Thanks." She looked up into my eyes. "I'm glad you are here, both of you - but especially you, Chaz."

Jean quietly left to inspect the outside of the truck and check things out.

"You know you're always welcome, Hami. Whatever you need, just ask."

She gave me a tight squeeze at that.

With her head on my shoulder, she was much calmer now. I could smell the fragrance of her hair and the soap she used. Not that I could tell you now exactly what scent it was. I was still concerned with her dream. Something powerful enough to shake a truck was nothing to take lightly.

"Chaz, I think there is something more we need to ask Jean." She started to get up, but waited for me, since only one of us could get up with enough grace out of that twisted position we were in. My legs were crossed on top of hers, so I had to move first.

Then I helped her up and we held each other as we squeezed down the narrow steps and out the front side door of the van.

Jean was there, waiting for us. Somehow, he had three iced coffees in his large hands. He'd turned on the awning bug light and set up the folding table and three chairs, like he knew we'd have questions. I moved my chair next to Hami's and also got my bedroll to put around her.

After I sat down and opened up my own drink, she snuggled back next to me, putting my arm around her shoulders again.

Jean was understanding, but wanted to know more. Still, he waited until Hami wanted to talk. We both did.

"It was one of those chases, some monster I couldn't see. And then I tripped and fell, but a long, long ways. Then I was caught by something - like a huge invisible spider's web. And no matter how I tried, I couldn't get out."

Jean quietly asked, "What were you feeling right then?"

"Fear. Pure fear."

"And what are you feeling right now?"

She looked at him with big eyes, and then looked into mine. "Love. Unconditional love."

"So that's what you have to remember at all times, in all situations. Let go of the Fear, the anger, all those negative emotions, and just find the love you always carry with you."

Hami frowned as she looked at him again. "But it was all so real."

"Regardless. That is the one lesson you have to keep with you. Lack of that is the only thing that can stop anything in its tracks. But love is also the universal solvent. Nothing can stand in its path." Jean looked away, into the darkness of the pre-dawn. "That is the one lesson that all the Lazurai had to learn and learned to pass on to everyone they meet. It's where anyyone draws their real power from."

He sipped his ice coffee. "Here's an example. Remember I told you that if you get angry, people could get sick and die? Well how come those gang-bangers, the ones that moved away got better? And do you remember after we walked away from that one heaving behind his car? What happened as we got away from him?"

Hami frowned. "I remember looking back. He stood up after that. Seemed fine."

"He was fine. If I wanted him hurt, he would have been. Seriously hurt. But that would do nothing, he would learn nothing. And that kid has a lot of lessons still to learn. He's got a lot of understandings to master. No matter how he gets treated, he has to decide what he's going to learn from every situation he gets himself into. Just as you two do. Just as all of us always have and always will."

Hami nodded and hugged me again.

Jean got up at that point. "Well, no real damage done to the truck or anything else around here." He picked up his own bedroll and pad. "It looks like we still have a couple of hours before dawn. I'll leave you two to talk it over." Then he turned and went around to the other side of the van.

We both just sat there and held each other. I pulled my bedroll across both our shoulders and in front of us to keep warm.

"Chaz, thanks. Again."

"Anytime, you know that."

"I do now, for certain." She looked out into the sky beyond the awning and the yellow bug-light. "Do you think someone knew more than we did - I mean about us?"

"Like we were going to get together sometime, or maybe that they wanted to see if they left us alone together..."

"Something like that, Chaz."

I just kissed the top of her head. "I don't know if we'll ever know for sure. Like it matters at all now."

And we held each other until it started lightening up in the eastern sky.

An overcast day after sleep interrupted by nightmares. Didn't seem like the best beginning to a day.

Other than watching a new sunrise in the arms of one you love, anyway.

VIIITHE LINES WERE SLOWER forming that day. Chaz rolled up all the bedrolls and Jean did a check of the supplies, like usual. I cleaned up the van and wiped down everything, turned the grill on low to warm up. Made sure I had enough order pads and backup pencils to take orders.

Jean took off to get our deliveries for the day, and I handed Chaz the condiments through the screen window. He then came in to scrape down the grill and put some buns on to warm.

The first in line stepped forward and the day started as usual.

Well, mostly usual. The lines were quieter, less jokes and talking. And fewer people in those lines. But it wasn't a Sunday or other holiday. After a few hours, I saw someone going backwards down the line talking to people. And most of the people he talked to left the line to move away. The bulk of them walked went over to the chain-link fence on the edge of the hospice parking lot. Some went further.

Then three cars came roaring in with a lurch through the entrance, then screeching to a halt. Two in front, and one in back.

Gang bangers. I recognized the face of that one who got sick the other night. He was still a sicko pasty-white, his skinny face sticking out of his dark hoodie and leather jacket. The rest crowded out and approached our van ahead of him, but he only came forward when he saw they weren't getting sick this time.

"Chaz." I nodded outside. A fast look and then he turned all the burners off and moved everything to the cooler back where it wouldn't start a fire from over-cooking.

Then took my hand in his.

"I'd like to place an order!" That was the sicko. "I'd like to order the two of you out of there so we can deal with you. Our way. This is our turf, and what we say goes!" He looked around to the rest of his guys, and they all nodded.

Yet their fear was tangible. We could feel it where we stood.

Chaz just held my hand tighter.

I leaned down to the window and opened up the screen. "So you're feeling better since last night? Listen, we only take orders for food. And we serve the best food you can get on this side of Kansas City - maybe in the whole of KC. So get in line and we'll help you get fed today. Have your cash or Welfare card ready and we'll get started."

Some of the gang bangers actually started moving behind that leader like they would rather be getting a burger than giving grief.

Sicko just glowered at them and pushed them back. "No. We don't want your food. We want to take some payment in kind out of you and your boyfriend. You've been serving up stuff without permission. You owe us! So you can start paying now, or we can make you pay a different way."

One of his goons started for the front van door. Chaz hit a big red button and all the doors and windows locked down. The awning rolled up on it's own.

The other goons moved in and started to bang their sticks on the Plexiglas. Then they picked up the edges of the van and started rocking it.

My eyes went wide, but Chaz just narrowed his. He turned to me and took both my hands.

"Remember this, Hami - I love you. No matter what. No matter why. I love you."

I nodded, with tears in my own eyes, not of fear or grief, but of understanding. "I love you, too. Forever and always. Now, let's get some real loving happening to those boys outside."

We both closed our eyes and saw the world from within. Emotions became colors. The darkest emotions also had the darkest colors. People had these colors surrounding them. Reds and oranges for some.

Ours were bluish. And we concentrated on pushing more love into each other and outward from there. I could see Chaz' face clearly, and I'm sure he could see mine as well. We were both smiling at this. Any yellow or tint of red was pushed back out away from us and we soon saw the familiar van insides as blue and whitish-blue outlines.

The rocking stopped. Without us opening our eyes, we saw them backing away their reds were going more yellow as their own fears started replacing their pent up anger. And they kept backing away.

We didn't open our eyes or let up. Chaz and I just kept pushing that love outward as fast as we could, as strong as we could. We saw them run back to their cars, but those were dead. By then our blue sphere was beyond their cars, and they piled out of them, holding onto their stomach and mouths, struggling to get away. Running or walking or crawling – just to get some distance from us.

We just kept moving the blue sphere outwards until they had all left the front gate on foot and were across the street. Many just kept running after that.

About then a huge thunderstorm let loose overhead and the entire area was pelted in thick rain, washing everything away.

IXCHAZ AND I FELL INTO each other's arms and just held on to each other until the storm passed.

About then, Uncle Jean opened the van door and came up the steps. Somehow dry as a bone. "Well, I see you two love-birds don't need any help with gang-bangers." He was all smiles.

A patrol car came up with lights flashing. An officer in dripping rain gear came in behind Jean. "Is everything OK, anyone hurt?" Both Chaz and I shook our heads "no" and smiled. The officer smiled back. We could hear him shout to someone to “get those plates run”, and saw a police tow truck enter and back up into position behind one of the gang-banger's cars.

The crowd came back from the fences and up to the van see how we were doing. They hadn't gotten wet at all, for some reason. But were very glad that we were all OK.

Soon, after they helped us get the tables and chairs back, along with the awning rolled back down and everything cleaned up, they were all in line again. And then we were back at serving hungry customers like always.

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