Chapter 9 – Tyron Tries To Make Things Right
Author's Note: There is no sex in this chapter. There is only character development. I thought you should know that so in case you're just skimming though the story looking for the sex, you can skip over this chapter. But if you are actually following the story, you should read this secure in the knowledge that it's a good story and there will be plenty of hot sex in each of the remaining 3 chapters.
A few days after Tyron got back from his vacation, he was walking up SJ Avenue. It was mid-morning and he was wearing his basketball team shirt and shorts, and had a small backpack with a few things in it slung over his shoulder. He was still feeling like a piece of shit, he was lost in thought, and he was not paying much attention to his surroundings. As he came up on one of the side streets, out from behind the corner building suddenly WHAMMO! There was Karen!!
Karen looked awful too – she looked like she had been crying, although she wasn't at that moment. When they saw each other they were both terrified – each for their own reasons. Karen tried to get away, but Tyron grabbed hold of her. He had no idea what he was going to do once he had hold of Karen, but he knew this might be his only chance to try ... something!
"Let go of me, you fuckin' SHIT!" Karen blurted out, and started trying to pull herself out of Tyron's grasp. "Wait, Karen, wait! I wanna tell ya I'm sorry!" said Tyron. "It's too late, you fuckin' black BASTARD! I HATE YOU I HATE YOU! LET ME GO!!" "I know y'all hates me, and you right ta hate me, but jes' – jes' don't run away yet, okay?" and Tyron let go of her. Karen stepped back out of Tyron's reach, but she didn't run away. "I hate your fuckin' GUTS Tyron! And now – now I just found out I'm PREGNANT!! Oh shit shit SHIT!! What do I do NOW? What happens when my mom and dad find out? You and all your black nigger friends - I think I'm gonna KILL MYSELF!!" and with that Karen burst into tears.
"I kin git ya'a'bortion an' ain't nobody gotta know!" Tyron blurted out. But just then, someone snatched hold of Tyron's arm, and when he turned he saw a very large, muscular white man! He squeezed Tyron's arm so it hurt, glared down at him and said, "Missy, is dis boy botherin' you?"
Now, keeping in mind that all this was happening on a sidewalk in a small city in North Carolina, and this white man was speaking with a rather thick southern drawl, you should realize that particularly when he said the word "boy" it sounded like he might as well have been saying, "Missy, y'all want me ta beat the shit outta this nigga boy fo' ya?!" And as the man glared down at him, Tyron was pretty scared.
But fortunately, there had been a few rumors around school about girls who got "in trouble" and one time Karen heard Tyron's name in connection with that. She'd been freaking out so bad since finding out she was pregnant that she really hadn't thought about anything else, but when she heard Tyron say about an abortion she suddenly realized maybe he really could do something like that. So after a couple of seconds of sheer terror for Tyron, Karen said, "No, he ain't botherin' me, we're just talkin'. Leave him alone." Tyron felt the pressure leave his arm as the man let him go, and then the man turned to Karen and said, "Okay missy, but if ya ever need any help with this boy, ya'll kin always gimme a call," and handed her a business card. Karen looked at it and it said "Olsen's Auto Repair, James Olsen, Mgr." and there was an address and phone number. "Thank you," she said, and the man walked away, but as he was leaving he turned around and glared at Tyron one last time.
The two kids talked in more hushed voices. "You can do that?" "Yeah-yeah, Karen, I know somebody do it, an' nobody gotta know, an' y'all don't even gots ta pay fo' it or nuttn'." "Holy shit that'd be perfect ..." and Karen's voice trailed off momentarily. But then she glared at Tyron again, almost as bad as the man had. "You fuckin' black piece a' SHIT Tyron! I hate you I hate you I HATE YOU!! I don't care if a million dollars drops outta the sky right now, there ain't nothin' could change anything!"
"I knowwwwwww ..." Tyron pleaded, "I wisht it ain't nevva happened ..." "OH SURE!! Like that makes it ALLLLL better! You fuckin' bastard! Well guess what? IT HAPPENED!!" But then Karen eased up a bit, because she really did want the abortion and she didn't want Tyron to change his mind about helping her get it. "But still ... you can help me?" "Yeah, yeah ..." said Tyron, "but you ain't gonna call dat man, are ya?" looking at the card in Karen's hand. "Oh shit, Tyron! I may be stupid, but even I know all this guy wants is to get me pregnant all over again!" and she threw the card down on the sidewalk.
"C'mon, we go dis way," said Tyron and led Karen up the street toward Dr. Moorefield's office. They walked in kind of an icy silence, although Tyron made a couple more attempts to apologize and Karen was unmoved. "I need your help, Tyron, but I still hate your guts forever." "I knowwwwwww ..."
When they got to Dr. Moorefield's office, the receptionist looked through the calendar and said, "He has a slot available this coming Thursday." Tyron leaned over and said quietly but insistently, "No ma'am, we need ta see Dr. Moorefield right now." She looked up at Karen and realized what the problem was. Karen was completely humiliated, but what could she do? The receptionist looked back at the calendar and said, "Okay, have a seat and the doctor will squeeze you in."
Once they were in the examination room with Dr. Moorefield he said, "Well, what seems to be the problem here?" (as if he didn't know). Both kids broke down crying and Tyron said, "Oh man, doc, she been raped an' now she pregnant! I's so sorry, I's sorry ..." "RAPED? Are you saying you did this, Tyron??" Then Karen said, "It wasn't just Tyron, it was a bunch of boys ..." "WHAT?? I can't believe this Tyron! And maybe you don't know this, but in the state of North Carolina I'm required to report a rape to the police!"
"OH PLEASE DON'T DO THAT!" Karen blurted out, "My mom and dad can't ever find out about this! I don't want to press charges – I don't want anybody to get arrested – I just want for everything to be over!" and both kids continued to cry. After a moment of thought, Dr. Moorefield said, "Then, young lady, you're saying this was not a rape?" Karen looked up at him, still crying, and said, "I'm saying whatever it takes to make it go away!"
Then Dr. Moorefield said, "Tyron, you know I still need to inform your father about this, because I'll be sending him the bill and it's not covered by insurance." "Yeah I know doc, jes' ... jes' don't tell 'im how it really happen." "Well Karen here just said it was consensual, so there's nothing to tell him, is there?" said Dr. Moorefield. "I guess not ..." said Tyron. "But let me tell you something right here and now, young man!" said Dr. M, "I'm not doing this for your sake – only for hers! If I had my way I'd be calling the police right now! This isn't just another one of your stupid stunts, Tyron, this is rape! YOU are a RAPIST! I've been your primary physician for four years now, and I just can't believe how low you've sunk! And believe me, if I ever have to hear about anything remotely like this again, I WILL call the police, no matter what the girl says!" Both kids continued to cry though this whole soliloquy.
Then Dr. Moorefield went to the computer and looked at his calendar, after which he called in his nurse. "Ann," he said, "Can you check to see if Dr. Quintyne is available on Thursday afternoon, and if so, clear my calendar because I will be assisting." After the nurse left, Dr. M said, "Karen, the nurse will need to do a complete physical on you today, and she will be taking some blood samples too. We need to find out if you've contracted any venereal diseases. I need you to come back here tomorrow afternoon for follow-up." Then turning to Tyron he said, "Do you know if you are the one responsible for this pregnancy?" Karen said, "No, he can't be ..." and Tyron said, "No, cuz ... cuz ..." and then crying some more he said "... cuz I didn't do 'er dat way ..."
"Oh, that's just great," said Dr. Moorefield sarcastically, but then added, "So Karen, when you see the nurse, you have to promise me that you'll tell her everything that happened, and allow her to do a complete examination of any part of you that may have been affected by this." "I promise, doc ..." she said. "Tyron, you can go now, and you don't need to be here tomorrow," said Dr. Moorefield, "but listen to me and listen good – I will require you to be here for the procedure on Thursday. I think it's about time for you to understand the magnitude of what you've done here. And let me be very clear – if you decide you have something better to do that day than to see the consequences of your actions, there will be NO procedure. Do you understand me young man?" "Yes, Dr. Moorefield, I'll be here, I promise." Right then the nurse came back in and said, "It's all set, Doctor. 1:30 pm Thursday."
At that point Tyron was about to get up and leave, but when he went to grab his backpack it flopped over and a couple of books slid out of it. Dr. Moorefield said, "Well then, a little summer reading?" Then he reached down and picked up the top book. "The Tao Te Ching? That's a little unusual for you ..." "Well, doc, somebody told me I could learn sumpthin' if I read it," said Tyron. "Maybe so," said Dr. Moorefield.
Then he looked down at the other book, which was "Why We Can't Wait." Tyron looked down at the floor. "Don't even say it, doc ... please ...?" "No, actually, I'm going to do even worse than that, Tyron – I'm gonna make YOU say it." "No, doc, please ...?" "Yes," said Dr. M, "Say it right here and now, in front of Karen." "Oh shit," said Tyron, still looking at the floor, "Dr. King hate me ..."
"Well if that's what you think you have a lot more to learn, and you'd better keep reading," said Dr. M. "Now go, and be here on Thursday at 1:30 pm." So Tyron loaded up his backpack and left.
After he left Dr. Moorefield's office Tyron wandered around aimlessly for a little while, and then went home. Rachel was sitting up in bed watching TV. She was wearing a sexy sheer nightie that left nothing to the imagination and she was, as always, very beautiful. Tyron set his backpack on the nightstand, got undressed and climbed into bed next to her. But neither one of them was in the mood for sex at that moment; instead they cuddled together and Tyron kissed Rachel's forehead.
Rachel was watching the movie "Mulan" on the Disney channel. The truth is, ever since she was little and used to watch it at the after-school program, Mulan was one of her favorite movies. She liked the heroic female character and admired how she tricked the soldiers into thinking she was a boy. But now, this movie was reminding her of Judy. "I know ya gots ta miss her too," she said. "Leastways you an' me gots each other," said Tyron, "but yeah, I been thinkin' 'bout her a lot. I miss her so much it hurt. An' we ain't nevva gonna see her agin' all cuzza me – it all be my own fault. She be right about evvythin' ya know ... I shouldn't'a nevva done nuttn' ta Karen ..." Rachel was still unsympathetic, even now, almost a week after the big blow-up with Judy and Mr. Nwokike. "Dag, Tyron, y'all actin' like Karen ain't some stuck-up bitch." "But so what," said Tyron, "It still ain't right – I know y'all know dat – an' it still my fault." But Tyron didn't want to tell Rachel about what had just happened with Karen, instead he just sat and watched to movie with her for a few minutes and then reached over and pulled the Tao Te Ching out of his backpack and started trying to read it.
"Y'all ackshully got dat book?" said Rachel. "Yeah, at Barnes & Noble's, I kep' thinkin' maybe I could learn sumpthin' from it," said Tyron. It was the Witter Bynner translation, which is a relatively small book because it doesn't have a whole lot of references and commentary like other translations, and that's one thing that appealed to Tyron when he saw it on the shelf at the store. Also it's a very poetic translation, which makes it deceptively easy to read on the surface. "But still, it be really hard ta figger out," said Tyron, "ya know, like dis one:
"Man at his best, like water, Serves as he goes along: Like water he seeks his own level, The common level of life, Loves living close to the earth, Living clear down in his heart, Loves kinship with his neighbors, The pick of words that tell the truth, The even tenor of a well-run state, The fair profit of able dealing. The right timing of useful deeds, And for blocking no one's way No one blames him."
"Ain't no figgerin' it out," said Rachel, "Evvybody want ya ta be perfick, like Jesus or sumpthin" ... cain't nobody be perfick like dat." "I guess not ..." said Tyron.
After a few more minutes the movie was over, and Rachel got up to get dressed. "Speakin' a cain't nobody be perfick,' I's goin' ova' an' talk to my ma," she said. "Yeah well, don't kill 'er dis time, okay?" said Tyron, and then with a little smile he added, "An' y'all kin tell 'er I sez yo'."
"Yeah well, ackshully, no," said Rachel, "but I gots ta talk ta her sometime. Y'all know dat who Mr. Nwokike talkin' 'bout dat day right?" Yeah well, ackshully, no, Tyron had been so wrapped up in his own concerns that he hadn't been thinking about that part of what Mr. N said at all. But once the words came out of Rachel's mouth it made a lot of sense, so Tyron looked up and said, "Yeah, you right ..." and as Rachel was leaving he said, "Hey baby," and when she looked back at him he said, "Good luck, okay?" "Thanks ... I's gonna need it." Then she closed the door gently behind her, leaving Tyron to his books and his thoughts.
And Rachel did go talk to her mom that day – and considering that this was the first time she had done that since the day six months ago when she threatened to kill her with a kitchen knife, things went pretty well. At least they sat together in that same kitchen and had a civil conversation. Mom tried to explain to Rachel how hard it was to be a single mom, knowing your son is a drug dealer and you can't do anything about it, and how devastated she was to have Raymond arrested and sent to jail for rape and attempted murder, and to find out that same day her little daughter had been getting raped over and over for weeks and that was what led to Raymond's arrest. She couldn't handle it all, and she admitted she was wrong about a lot of things ever since.
As for Rachel, she tried to explain to her mom how terrible it was getting raped, and how scared she was, and how she felt like everything was her fault when Raymond got sent to jail.
But I don't want to make this sound like the end of some movie on the Lifetime Movie Channel, where the mom and daughter reconcile and everybody lives happily ever after. The truth is that kind of reconciliation is total bullshit, and it never happens in the real world. Ackshully, no, in the real world just the fact that Rachel and her mom were able to talk about it once without getting into a shouting match over whose fault everything was – that was about as much as anyone could ask for. And ackshully, no, Rachel and her mom were still just barely on speaking terms for a long time even after this conversation. But as the old Chinese saying says, a journey of a thousand miles must begin with a first step, and being able to talk without trying to kill each other was as good a first step as any.
Tyron did go back to Dr. Moorefield's office on Thursday. It was exactly two weeks since he and Rachel and Judy had seen little David off at the Wongs' room at Disney's Coronado springs, then spent the afternoon with together at the outlet mall, and gone back to their room and fucked like crazy. Dr. Moorefield didn't want Tyron to be in the operating room while the abortion was performed, which would have been both unethical and even more humiliating for Karen than the procedure itself. Instead, he wanted Tyron to sit by himself in a nearby examination room with no cell phone, no games or other distractions, just sit there knowing what was going on in the next room and thinking about his responsibility for it. And Tyron did think about it, and he thought a lot about Judy too, and how he had lost Judy forever because he'd been such a total fuck-up.
Tyron did resolve to make a few changes – and like with Rachel, I am not talking about miraculous Lifetime Movie Channel character changes, but still, a first couple of steps in a long journey. The easiest resolution was to never rape any more bitches – that was easy because he only had to promise himself not to do something. But he also promised himself to stand up against the other boys about Karen's rape, which was a lot harder because he was afraid they'd call him a pussy. But he did get a couple of chances to do that as the months passed.
But as Tyron was sitting there in the examination room he decided he should do one more thing, something a little more meaningful and challenging, which was to let the fag teachers off the hook. Perhaps you will recall from back in Chapter 3, how Tyron was using sex as a weapon to force his bitch teachers to keep quiet about him and give him the grades he needed to skate by and not get thrown off the basketball team. Or how he was doing even worse to the closeted fag teachers and coaches by luring them in and letting them suck his dick – just once! – and then making sure to surprise those fags by taking a cell phone picture of them right while they had their mouths all over his hot throbbing black cock. Well, Tyron decided to let the fags off the hook. He didn't even like having fags suck his cock anyways, and the whole thing with the fags was just a pure extortion racket – at least with the bitch teachers (as I said in Chapter 3) they almost always wanted to give him real tutoring help in addition to getting fucked, and anyways they were his consenting sex partners too – in fact, any one of them was free to go any time they wanted, and a lot of them did. But none of that was true for the fag teachers and coaches, so Tyron resolved to cut that shit out.
And believe it or not, not only did Tyron cut that shit out, but he also went one step further – which was to go back to each of those fags and tell them they were off the hook, and he even let them watch as he deleted their photos off his cell phone. Then the strangest thing of all happened – those closeted fags were so relieved and grateful to be let off the hook that they ended up giving Tyron more extra tutoring and coaching help, and better grades than ever! Funny how that karma comes back to you, eh Tyron?
Tyron never told his dad, or Rachel, or anybody else about any of this. He decided it all would be just between him and his memory of Judy. In fact, maybe you will recall the end of Chapter 2, where Tyron's step-dad said that when Tyron and Rachel broke up "it was over some petty bullshit [he] could never figure out." Well, guess what? It was because Tyron never told Rachel about Karen's abortion. This happened about a year later, at a point where Rachel had actually come around to Tyron's way of thinking about that rape. Of course, everybody at school knew the story behind Rachel's rape, but still very few kids knew about Karen. Rachel was one of those few kids, but when she finally went to go talk to Karen about it, you know girl-to-girl and rape-victim-to-rape-victim, Karen spilled the beans about the abortion figuring that Rachel must've known all about that, which she didn't and felt humiliated. Then she proceeded to go off on Tyron about keeping secrets from her and Tyron said it ain't none of your fuckin' business anyways!
Well, that was the end of Tyron & Rachel, so if you think about it for a minute you'll realize Tyron lost two of his best bitches ever over that one total fuck-up. He was devastated, he was hurt, but he still couldn't tell anyone about it, including his dad. Funny how that karma comes back to you, eh Tyron?