Johnny Gets His Wings

Chapter 7

Officer Ken parked his squad car in the driveway of a large two-story brick house with a corrugated metal roof and a three-car garage. The lawn was green and spacious. Plus it contained a towering oak tree right in the center. The tree was beautiful, but its location kind of made me nervous at the same time. If some powerful storm came along and blew the thing over, it would crash right through the walls and kill the owner.

I said, "Somebody needs to turn that oak into firewood."

Ken said, "Boy, you must be crazy. You'd be blessed to have a tree that magnificent in your front yard."

"We don't have a front yard. We live in an apartment building."

"This oak might be the most wonderful tree in the entire state of Louisiana, and you want to murder it. You truly are a knucklehead, aren't you?"

I shrugged my shoulders. "Murder is a bit harsh. Just cut it down and use the wood for practical purposes."

The cop turned around to face me. "You know what you are?"

"You already told me. A knucklehead."

"Of course you're a knucklehead. Any damn fool can see that. But you're also an anti-authoritarian son of a bitch."

I chuckled and shook my head. "Bullshit."

"Bullshit my ass. Think about it. You punch your teachers, you use curse words in front of the police, and you murder innocent trees. You need help, my friend. Lots and lots of help. But the colonel is up to the job. If he can't set you straight, then nobody can."

"Is this the colonel's house?"

"It sure is. I bet you wish that you could live in a place as nice as this."

"Well, I certainly wouldn't crap on the idea."

He laughed out loud. "Well, you got your whole life in front of you. One day if you play your cards right, it might just happen."

"I ain't going to hold my breath."

He pulled me from the vehicle and removed the cuffs. I rubbed my wrists for what seemed like ages in order to get the feeling back in my hands. The metal had even left an imprint in my flesh.

I said, "So what do we do now?"

"Well, we could stand out here like a couple of idiots, or we could go inside and make ourselves comfortable. Which would you prefer."

"Let's go inside."

We walked to the front door, and Officer Ken rang the bell. It wasn't long before we were greeted by an attractive woman. She had blonde hair and a radiant smile. Plus she was really put together like a brick shithouse. In fact, her breasts were almost popping out of her tight-fitting floral-patterned dress. It was hard not to stare at those fantastic melons. But I managed to do my best.

"Come on in, boys. I've been expecting you. Just make sure to take your shoes off. I like to keep my house nice and clean."

After removing my sneakers, she led me by the hand to a long leather sofa. It was green and soft.

She said, "I talked to the colonel. He's decided to leave work early so that he can speak to you, Johnny. He feels terrible that you've been kicked out of school. You did a terrible thing, hitting a one-legged war hero. Yet we all make mistakes. We forgive you, and so does Jesus."

"Thanks for your kind words. But I'm not sure if my expulsion is actually official. Nobody has said a word to me on the matter."

She giggled sweetly and ran her hand through my hair. "You're so handsome. Almost like a young Paul Newman." She turned her gaze toward Officer Ken. "What do you think? Can you see the similarities."

"Well, I'm not a huge aficionado when it comes to Hollywood heartthrobs. But he is a good-looking kid."

"I bet he's the most handsome boy in the entire school. However, he really isn't a boy, is he? He's a beautiful young man."

Needless to say, I was beginning to feel a bit uncomfortable. But at least I wasn't sitting in jail.