The Break - Chapter 32

Chapter 32 As the bus rolled out of the ferry station, every one grew silent. It was a very uncomfortable stillness. Finally, a strange thought struck Big Ron. “Hey, Schneider.” Big Ron asked. “You gotta first name.” “Yeah, it’s Frank.” He answered sullenly. “People use to call me Frankie.” “So, Frankie Schneider.” Big Ron said comfortably. “Nice to meet you.” “Nice meet you, too.” Schneider said. “But it’s Frankie Johnson.” The other seven exchanged surprised looks. Ronnie couldn’t believe that in all the years he had known Schneider he had never asked his name. But the second time his father met him, he asked. Now, not only did they know his first name, they also knew that his last name was Johnson. “So where did Schneider come from?” Ronnie asked incredulously. “One Day at a Time.” Schneider responded. “What?” Ronnie asked completely confused. “The seventies sitcom?” Big Ron asked. “The one and only.” Schneider continued as a big smile formed on his face. The group was stunned. At first they hadn’t been paying much attention to the conversation, but the tone of Ronnie’s voice made them all take notice. Except for Chelsea, she continued to stare out the window. Snapping his fingers as a thought raced into his head, it clicked. “Valerie Bertinelli was in that show.” Pete he said as if he were answering a question in a Trivial Pursuit game. “How the fuck do you know that?” Ass asked. “Dude, she’s Mrs. Eddie Van Halen.” Pete responded condescendingly. “Oh, that chick.” Ass said. “I always wondered why she was famous.” “You butt plug.” Ronnie chided. “She was in a bunch of movies.” Now it was Ronnie that was receiving the stares. “Dude, I used to watch a lot of TV.” Ronnie said defensively. “You know, instead of doing my homework.” “Doesn’t she look a lot like Phoebe Cates?” Ben asked. “Kinda, but she looks a lot more like Eddie.” Pete added. Although Big Ron was very amused by the conversation, he knew there was more to the story and he wanted to find out what it was. There was something about Schneider that really bothered him, but he wasn’t quite sure. He thought this might provide some insight. “So, what’s the deal?” Big Ron asked. “You a big Jamie Farr fan?’ “What?” Schneider asked confused. “Oh, frequent mistake. No, Schneider was portrayed by Pat Harrington, Jr. Yeah, I guess I’m a fan.” That wasn’t what he was looking for. Big Ron knew when some one was hiding something. That was the personal skill that had made him rich. In negotiations, he didn’t claim to know exactly what the other guy knew. But he definitely knew when the other side was withholding information. Just as he was about to continue questioning, he was interrupted. “Hey, wasn’t that chick from Wilson-Phillips in that show?” Pete asked again. For some reason this question generated peals of laughter from Emily. She nudged Chelsea, bringing her back to the moment. They locked eyes. “Hey Chels, remember?” She asked cheerfully. She began to sing softly. “I know this pain Why do lock yourself up in these chains? No one can change your life except for you Don't ever let anyone step all over you Just open your heart and your mind Is it really fair to feel this way inside?” Chelsea smiled broadly and jumped in and sang robustly with her friend. “Some day somebody's gonna make you want to Turn around and say goodbye Until then baby are you going to let them Hold you down and make you cry Don't you know? Don't you know things can change Things'll go your way If you hold on for one more day Can you hold on for one more day Things'll go your way Hold on for one more day” Just as when they were pre-pubescent girls, Emily dropped off and let Chelsea continue. “You could sustain Or are you comfortable with the pain? You've got no one to blame for your unhappiness You got yourself into your own mess Lettin' your worries pass you by Don't you think it's worth your time To change your mind?” Then Emily joined her friend for the chorus again. Then they broke off the song laughing and holding their stomach. “Oh Em, that was sooo long ago.” Chelsea said as they regained their composure. Then men were dumbfounded. Not only was it completely unexpected, it was actually pretty good for an impromptu a capella version of a fifteen year old song. “All right.” Pete said as he clapped his hands together. The others joined him in giving the girls a quick round of applause. “Uh…don’t mean to piss on your parade.” Schneider said. “But it was MacKenzie Phillips on One Day at a Time. Chynna Phillips was in Wilson-Phillips. Nice song though.” “Uh, thanks…I guess.” Chelsea said dismissively as she turned back to Emily. “I haven’t sung like that in a long time. Remember how we used to do that.” Big Ron watched for Schneider’s reaction and he saw the dark frown form on his face. “All the time, singing into our hair brushes.” Chelsea added. Both girls giggled as if they had been transported back to Emily’s bedroom, dancing around in their pajamas. “I gotta pee.” Emily said excitedly. “Come with me.” With that, the girls disappeared. The men looked at each other in a peculiar fashion. Not really sure where that came from, but like Schneider, they did think it was pretty entertaining. “Other cast members included, Bonnie Franklin as the lovely Anne Romano.” Schneider began rambling. “The previous mentioned Valerie and Mackenzie as her two daughters, Julie and Barbara. Shelley Fabares as …” “Whoa, there Schneider.” Pete said. “You know a little more about “One Day at a Time” than anyone really should. What is up with that? “There was a time in my life when “One Day at a Time” was the only thing I had in my life.” “Wat? C’mon, dude.” Pete said good-naturedly not being astute enough to gauge the emotional toll the conversation was taking on Schneider.” “Look, man.” Schneider said solemnly. “I’m dead serious. I had nothing but that show, not even a name. So, yeah. It’s pretty important to me. I try to catch it whenever I can.” It was beginning to sink in to Pete. Just as he was about to ask another question, Big Ron slowly shook his head back and forth in an exaggerated motion so not even Pete could miss it. Once again, Ron didn’t know exactly what was happening with Schneider. But he did know that know was not the time to push it. An eerie silence hung over then men. “This is it. Straight ahead and rest assured …” Schneider began to sing the theme song in a barely audible tone. They rode the rest of the five mile to the airport in complete silence other than Schneider’s soft voice. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- There was a very long line in the cafeteria and Frankie was getting impatient. As hungry as he was, his grumbling was beginning to become noticeable. Even though it was very apparent that he was getting agitated, none of the employees moved. They had all heard the story and they all stayed clear of him. No one could ever prove it, but two people were dead and he was the only person that could have done it. Unfortunately, no one understood how he could have possibly done it and that is what scared them the most. He had killed another resident within fifteen feet of two orderlies and a nurse. Later the same night, one of the orderlies was found dead in the janitor’s closet. It just happened to be the one that roughed him up a bit. Although they could not figure out how he could have managed to kill the orderly and lock himself back in the isolation room, everyone knew he did it. Despite how impossible it seemed that he could lock the door from the outside, the really amazing feat was that he was restrained in a straight-jacket the entire time. When Frank Johnson got restless, all the Vacaville employees got nervous, very nervous. “Hurry up.” Frank said. “I fuckin’ hungry.” The two closest orderlies looked at each other, then back at Frank. They knew that they were going to have to take action if Frank got revved up any more. Just as they began to move in to a better position they heard a strange voice. “Where’s Frank Johnstone?” The man’s voice asked. Turning, they orderlies saw a smallish man in a black suit facing them. “Johnstone.” He repeated authoritatively. “Frank Johnstone.” “Uh…we have a Frank Johnson.” One managed. “That’s it. Frank Johnson.” The man said crisply. “He’s mine.” The man handed them a sheet of paper. Upon examination, it showed that it was a court order releasing Frank to this man, James Smith. Feeling completely relived the orderly that read the court order turned to his partner. “This says he gets, Frank.” He said. “Be my guest.” The other orderly said to the mysterious man as he pointed to Frank. Mr. James Smith walked over to Frank. Reaching out, he touched Frank’s arm. “Let’s go, Johnson.” The man said as he pulled on Frank’s arm. “Fuck off, I’m getting lunch.” Frank responded angrily. The two orderlies watched intently. They wanted to make sure they actually witnessed Frank in action. Instead of being treated to a death match, the two saw something that took them completely off guard. As he held tightly on to Frank’s arm, James Smith leaned in and said something quietly. Then he turned to walk away and Frank fell in behind him, automatically in step. Without another word or signal, James and Frank walked out the door. “You see that shit?” One asked the other. “I seen it, but I ain’t believin’ it.” The other responded. Upon exiting the building, the two men walked lock step to a blue Ford Gran Torino and got inside. James started the car, moved the automatic transmission into gear and drove away. They drove in silence until they were several miles away from the facility. The entire time, Frank sat upright and looked straight forward. “Here’s the deal, soldier.” James started to explain. “The company wants you terminated with extreme prejudice, do you understand.” “Yes, sir.” Frank responded flatly as he continued looking forward. “You don’t seem upset about that.” James remarked. “I’m a soldier, sir.” Frank stated. “I understand that I follow orders, not question them.” James was impressed. Some one, and he was pretty sure he knew who, had conditioned this man extremely well. Right now, he knew that he could order this man to do anything and he would execute the order or die trying. There was absolutely no doubt. “Do you know who my boss is?” James asked. “Yes, sir. I do.” Frank responded immediately and forcefully. “Then you understand that my orders are his orders, correct?” James continued with his questioning. “Yes, sir.” “We have other plans.” James explained. “You are to go to Colorado and establish a base of operations. Keep a low profile and do not attract attention to yourself. We will contact you when we need you.” “Yes, sir.” “I have a kit in the seat behind you with everything you need to get to Colorado and get set up. Do not use public transportation. Do not use any other vehicular transportation. Do not hop any freight trains. Absolutely, no hitch-hiking. Avoid any human contact unless it is absolutely necessary until you get there. Understand?” “Yes, sir.” Frank said. “I walk. Destination, sir?” “No where in particular.” James said. “The less we know, the better. We’ll find you when we need you, but do not leave Colorado unless cleared.” “Yes, sir.” “If you need supplemental income, you are authorized to work, but try to find something that doesn’t require much contact with civilians.” “Yes, sir.” For the entire conversation, Frank did not move. His posture was perfect, his eyes looking directly forward. Once again, James was impressed and a little intimidates. He had never actually met anyone with such little humanness. It was not some thing he wished to experience again. “One last thing.” James said. “If you see anyone from the company, take immediate evasive action. If you cannot get away without being seen, you are authorized to use whatever means necessary to protect the mission. Clear?” “Crystal, sir.” Frank responded. James pulled the car to the side of the road. Without a word, Frank exited the vehicle. Quickly, he opened the rear door, extracted the back pack. As soon as he shut the door, James pulled away and disappeared down the road. Frank placed his right arm in the strap, flipped the pack on to his back and slipped his other arm into the strap. As he began to walk east, he inhaled deeply. For the first time in almost four years, he was outside. It felt great. He felt great. After five steps, he walked off the road and disappeared into the woods. <<< Chapter 31 Technorati Tags: Fiction, Online Book, Chapter, rebeleyeball, Paul Gavin IceRocket Tags: Fiction, Blook, Chapter, rebeleyeball More stories from Paul Gavin. Info on novels Paul Gavin's Storefront. Copyright (c) 2006 Paul Gavin. All rights reserved.