Tossed Away Kid - Chapter 6
This is a work of fiction. Any similarity to anyone in real life is a coincidence.
A special thanks to Ed for his editorial help. Please let me know what you think wep363@myexcel.com My Web Site http://wpstories.tripod.com/
This is a story of love, hope, and trust. It also deals with rejection, false hope, and mistrust. It is not a sex story. However, this story deals with love between two male teenagers. If you are offended by stories involving love between two teenage boys, please do not read this story. There may be some sex scenes in this story; however, sex is not the main theme and will not be graphically described. If you are under age 18 or 21 or it is illegal to read this story where you live, don't get caught reading it. Reproducing this story for distribution without the owner's permission is a violation of that copyright.
"Knock" "Knock" "Knock"
"Yes." I heard the sweetest voice God ever created.
"Time to get up, guys. We have a fun day planned," said Mike.
"We're up," Danny responded again.
"We are?" I whispered.
"Well, I am. Come on, let's take a shower. I'll help wash you."
Danny got out of bed and took my hand. Then he pulled me out of bed and onto my feet. He pulled me into an embrace and gave me a light kiss. "That's all you get until you have showered and teeth brushed," Danny said.
Danny led me into the bathroom and we got ready for our day. We dressed in shorts and tee shirts. I've never been to an Amusement Park before. I have been to the State Fair but the Ferris wheel and bumper cars are the most exciting rides I've ever been on. By the time I was dressed I was fully awake. We got in Mark's truck and went to the motel my brother was in. Then we went to the Smiths' house to collect Scott. They had breakfast prepared for all of us and had packed a picnic lunch for us. We thanked them, saying they didn't have to do all that and they said seeing Danny happy again was well worth it.
Pete asked Danny and me to ride with them. We sat in the back seat with Scott in the middle. We got on I-294 north which I have learned is called the Tri State Toll-way. We had to stop about every 10 miles and put change in a tollbooth. I learned all about Pete's life in Detroit on the way. He worked as a payroll clerk for General Motors and said he makes good money. Barbara is a schoolteacher and teaches High School History. History is one of my favorite subjects and we got into a discussion over what the real cause of the civil war was. We agreed that it was a state's right issue and not a slavery issue. Scott seemed totally bored with the subject. I guess he hears it all the time with his mother being a history teacher and all.
In what seemed like no time at all we saw a sign that said "Six Flags next exit" and we followed Mark's truck off the highway. We pulled into the biggest parking lot I've ever seen and there were already thousands of cars parked. We were directed where to park and parked right next to Mark's truck. We took our picnic basket and a cooler with pops in it and put it in a locker. The sun was bright and it looked like it was going to be a beautiful day. Mark bought tickets for everyone despite Pete's protests. Scott was too small to go on the big rides so it was decided that he was going on rides with his mother while Pete joined us on the roller coasters and other big rides. We decided where to meet for lunch and off we went.
Mark and Mike told us they were here just one week ago so they already checked out all the cool rides. Our first ride was a big steel roller coaster that loops and curves. We got in line and waited. Waiting was not that bad. Lots of cute guys with plenty of skin exposed to look at.
"What do you plan on doing this summer, Tommy?" asked Pete.
"I'm going to summer school, getting a head start on High School with Mark and Mike."
"What classes are you taking?"
Now what am I going to say? I need to think fast!
"He's going to be taking mainly personal enrichment classes. Like physical education, first aid, and classes like that," Mark responded. "I'm going to be an instructor teaching self defense and Mike is a physical fitness instructor.
Thank you, Mark. He really got me out of that one.
"The reason I'm asking, Tommy, is I'd like to have you come visit sometime."
"I'd love to visit you, Pete."
"Tommy is not going to be allowed to leave the state until the custody issue is settled. That should probably be in September from what I've heard. Perhaps he can come visit during Thanksgiving holiday," replied Mark.
"I can understand that. It would be great to have you come either Thanksgiving or sometime over the Christmas holiday, Tommy. You can bring Danny and his parents with you too. It's only a 5-hour car or train ride. We have plenty of room so you won't have to stay in a motel."
"Thanks for the invitation, Pete. After I get settled I'll let you know."
We talked some more, just getting to know each other better. Finally we got up to the platform of the roller coaster and Mike suggested that Danny and I get in the last car because it was our first time and the front is too scary. Mark looked at him, smiled and raised an eyebrow. It seemed like everyone else was trying to get in the last car too but we managed to get into the last car, last row. A safety bar was locked over our laps. The ride started and we started going up this really high hill very slowly.
Maybe this was NOT such a good Idea. I can see for miles. What if the cars don't stay on the track? We're getting near the top. No turning around now - my stomach feels funny. I think I ate too much breakfast. I see the first cars going over the top of the hill. Oh-My-God. "Holy #%$@, son of a $#@&, mother &*%$@$, @&#$ me." I closed my eyes and hung on to the safety bar for dear life. I forgot about everything around me. For the next two minutes I swore more than in my entire life put together. As soon as we got off the ride I was ready to go again.
"Can we go again? Can we go again? Please?"
"Perhaps later, Tommy, but there is an even better roller coaster over there. That was just a warmup ride."
We got in line for yet another roller coaster. It took over an hour to get on the ride. Mark was right. This one was even more fun than the last one. I knew what to expect and was not nearly as shocked as I was by the first one. I even kept my eyes open this time. Then we went on this ride that goes up 150 feet in the air and drops straight down. It was a rush. After that it was time for lunch. We met up with Barbara and Scott. After lunch off we went again.
We went on water rides, more roller coasters, and even the bumper cars. I really got to know Pete better and found that I liked him. Overall it was the kind of day I don't think I'll ever forget. We kept going on rides until the park closed at 11:00 PM. Pete and his family were leaving early in the morning so we said goodbye. I was really glad that my brother Pete came to visit me. By the time we got out of the parking lot and got back to our apartment it was 1:00 AM. It took a while to fall asleep after all the excitement of the day.
We slept in really late Sunday. I got up before Danny and found Mike and Mark drinking coffee in the kitchen.
"Good morning, guys, what's the game plan for today?"
"We're going to go over to Danny's house and have dinner. Then his parents are going to take us to the train station. We'll take the train downtown and then switch trains to go to Great Lakes. You won't need to bring anything with you except a change of clothes. Everything will be provided for you. We'll sleep there tonight because they are going to get us up at 5:30 tomorrow. Looks like your summer vacation is over, Tommy," said Mark.
"My summer vacation was over as soon as Danny moved away."
"Speaking of which, you better go drag him out of bed."
I walked back into my room and found Danny curled up in a ball. He looked so peaceful it seemed like a shame to wake him. Like in Sleeping Beauty I leaned down and kissed him on the cheek. "Good morning, sunshine, time to get up." He opened up his eyes and smiled.
"What am I going to do with myself when you're gone all week?"
"How about you think about ways that we can spend our weekends."
"That should keep me busy. How about a shower?"
"Sure, let's go."
We got in the shower and took entirely too long. We got dressed and Mark and Mike were ready to go to Danny's house. We had an early BBQ dinner out on the back porch and really enjoyed each other's company. Mike and Mark seemed to really get along with Danny's parents. We took Mark's truck back to the apartment and the Smiths took us to the train station at Glen Ellyn. Saying goodbye to Danny was rough. We both wanted so much to kiss each other goodbye, however we settled for a hug.
The moment was broken up with Mark's cell phone ringing. Pete called to let us know that they were home safely. He told me how much he enjoyed his visit and is already looking forward to seeing Danny and me again. He wished me luck with summer school and we said goodbye. The train pulled into the station and I hugged Danny one final time and hugged his parents too. We got on the train and off we went.
The train ride was uneventful. It took us two hour to get to Recruit Training Command at Great Lakes. We got to the front gate and Mark handed some paperwork to a guard. We were told that we'd be staying in a temporary barracks until tomorrow and were told to wait. After a short wait we were escorted to the barracks. It's a large room with 40 bunk beds (later I learned these are called racks) on either side along with lockers. Mark, Mike, and I staked out a bed. All I brought was a change of clothes and my journal. There were already about 20 other guys here. We were told that the girls were in another barracks. I sat down and did my journal entry for the last two days. Although all the windows were open it was very hot. I soon found myself sweating like crazy.
A few more guys showed up and soon it was time to take a shower and get ready for bed. I was totally amazed by what I saw. Some of the black guys in the shower had to have 8" soft. I could only dream what they looked like hard. I turned the water colder to keep things from getting out of proportion. The shower was refreshing and I went back in the main barracks and lay down in my rack. The lights were turned out. I looked at the clock and saw that it was only 9:30. I spent the next 4 hours tossing and turning. Finally it seemed to cool off some and I drifted off into a restless sleep.
"DROP YOUR COCKS AND GRAB YOUR SOCKS. YOU HAVE 15 MINUTES TO PISS, SHIT, GET DRESSED, AND ASSEMBLE OUT ON THE GRINDER!"
Where am I? I remember now. I'm in boot camp, training to be a police officer. The lights half blinded me. I wandered into the bathroom, (I'm soon to learn it's called "the head", funny name,) and relieved myself. Then as if in a daze wandered back to my locker and get dressed. We learned that the grinder was a courtyard outside the barracks. We all kind of wandered down there. I stuck as close to Mark and Mike as I could. The girls were also there but down away from us, with their own instructor. There were only about 10 of them and 50 guys.
"I'M POLICE SERGEANT BROOKS. I'M YOUR COMPANY COMMANDER. IT'S MY JOB TO TEACH YOU RAGBAG BUNCH TO WORK AS A TEAM AND TAKE YOU FROM ONE PLACE TO ANOTHER. I WILL NOT BE EMBARRASSED IN FRONT OF NAVY RECRUIT COMPANIES WE COME IN CONTACT WITH. YOU WILL LEARN CLOSE ORDER DRILL AND YOU WILL LOOK SHARP. IS THAT UNDERSTOOD?"
"Yes sir," we replied.
"I'M NOT A SIR. YOU WILL ADDRESS ME AS SERGEANT. DO I MAKE MYSELF CLEAR?"
"Yes, Sergeant."
"I CAN'T HEAR YOU!"
"YES, SERGEANT!" we all shouted as loud as we could.
"MY 90-YEAR-OLD GRANDMOTHER CAN TALK LOUDER THAN THAT. DO I MAKE MYSELF CLEAR?"
"YES, SERGEANT."
"LINE UP BY HEIGHT. TALLEST TO MY LEFT AND SHORTEST TO MY RIGHT."
We spent the next half-hour learning how to line up, stand at attention, make turns, and march in place. Sergeant Brooks got in all our faces at one time or another. Finally he put us in ranks of 4 men each and marched us to the mess hall. We were all out of step and looked really sloppy.
We got to the mess hall and saw a long line with Navy recruits.
"LINE UP SINGLE FILE. I WANT THIS LINE TIGHT. THAT'S IT, LINE UP. I SAID I WANT THIS LINE TIGHT. MAKE THE MAN IN FRONT OF YOU SMILE."
Make the man in front of you smile? Now that's funny. We got lots of looks from the other Navy recruits but they said nothing to us. We got breakfast and were given 15 minutes to eat it and reassemble outside the mess hall. Then we were marched to get our uniforms and other stuff we need. That took several hours. Our company commander was real disappointed that we didn't get haircuts too. Then we marched back to the barracks and picked up our stuff and marched across a road past the main gate to another area. We were told that no Navy recruits were in this section and we had the run of the place.
We were told that later in the afternoon we would stencil our names on our uniforms. Those of us that would be working undercover needed a false name to identify ourselves. That's when I decided on Tucker. I once heard a joke about a kid named Tommy Tucker. We put our newly issued stuff away and changed into navy blue uniforms and boots. Because of the section that we have moved to we are almost a mile away from the chow hall. We lined up and marched to lunch. Our marching was getting better. For breakfast I just had cereal and juice but at lunch I was hungry and really loaded up. The food was not too bad. Kind of like school food. Nutritious but kind of bland tasting and plain looking.
After lunch we were marched all the way back to the other side of the complex and into a drill hall. We were lined up and told to stand at ease. I recognized Capt. Wright with another well dressed man step up to the platform. Capt. Wright stepped up to the microphone.
"I would like you all to give a warm welcome to the Mayor of Chicago, the Honorable Richard M. Daley," said Capt. Wright. We all clapped.
"To tell you the truth," said Mayor Daley, "it's my honor to be here today. You have shown yourselves to be some of the finest in your schools."
"Last Friday four teenagers were enjoying some time at the beach down on Lake Michigan. After a day of fun in the sun they returned to their vehicle to go home. Three muggers only saw what they thought was 4 rich kids getting into a late model vehicle. They made their move and pulled a knife on the four young men, demanding their money and vehicle. What they didn't realize was that one of the young men is already a student police officer working in a school in Michigan and two of the others are starting training here today. Mark, Mike, and Tommy, would you please step up to the platform."
Oh my God. The Mayer of Chicago knows who I am and wants me to go up there. I see Mark and Mike step out and I stepped out too. I walked up to the platform and stood with Mike and Mark on the Mayor's right.
"Mark identified himself as a City of Chicago police office and told the muggers that they were under arrest. Two of the muggers decided to resist arrest and attacked Mark and Mike. Those two had to make a stop at the hospital on their way to Cook County Jail. The third was taken into custody without violence. All three will be off the street for a very long time."
"Ever since I became Mayor of Chicago I've asked myself some hard questions concerning our school system. If we don't allow poor performance in the workplace, why do we allow it in our schools? If we don't allow sexual harassment in the workplace, why do we allow it in our schools? If we don't allow extortion in the workplace, why do we allow it in our schools? If we don't allow drug use and trafficking in the workplace, why do we allow it in our schools? If we don't allow gangs in the workplace, why do we allow it in our schools? If we don't accept robbery, rape, and murder in the workplace, why do we allow it to happen at our schools?"
"I've been asking these same question of police and school officials for years now with no answers - only excuses. Another problem that was really bugging me was a gang of muggers in Chinatown that the police weren't able to apprehend. It all came together one day last winter when Mark and Mike made a trip to Chinatown for dinner with Mark's mother. Mark and Mike managed to apprehend the leaders of the gang when they tried to mug them."
"Then I found out that Mark was a deputy sheriff in Michigan, working in a local high school. His principal is a friend of mine from college. I contacted my friend and found out that Mark was policing his school. The progress Mark had made in his school opened up a world of possibilities on how to handle our schools. This training program is a direct result of the results obtained in Michigan last year by Mark. He is here to go through and evaluate the program along with being a self-defense instructor. Mike is also here as a physical fitness instructor. Tommy here is the youngest trainee in the program. He'll be working undercover in a school outside the City of Chicago. He's being sponsored by the state."
"Your goal for the next two months is to earn one of these," and the Mayor held up a City of Chicago Police badge. "Mark, hold up your badge." Mark pulled out his wallet and displayed his badge. "I'm presenting this one to Mike for twice bringing Chicago criminals into custody. Both times they made a stop at the emergency room before going to jail. You can see that size really makes no difference. Mike is one of the smallest guys here. After reading the police report I must say that Tommy and his friend Danny were also very brave. Although they weren't involved in the actual arrest they remained calm throughout the experience."
"In closing, everyone here has been recruited for specific reasons. Besides not doing drugs, running with gangs, being troublemakers, you're responsible, hard workers, good students. We have done a complete investigation on each of you. It's no accident that you are here. You are the best of the best just like Mike and Mark. If this program is as successful as we hope, it will it will be expanded. That will make an opportunity for each and every one of you. If you are looking for a career in police work with good pay and benefits, this is your chance. At this time I want to congratulate each and every one of you for getting this far and I hope to hand each and every one of you a City of Chicago police badge two months from now."
Capt. Wright excused us to rejoin the rest of the recruits.
"Now that you have heard from the Mayor, it's my turn," explained Capt. Wright. "There are several reasons why we are training in a military boot camp training center. First and most important is security. Half of the recruits in your company you don't know from school. That is because they are from another school. We have two groups training here this summer. All the undercover recruits from your school are training with the other group. Undercover police work is very dangerous. For that reason alone we knew we had to train outside your neighborhoods. If word got around as to who the undercover officers are, their lives would be in danger. For those of you working undercover your training will also be different on some things."
"I'm sure you have noticed that there are fences all around us. They are not to keep you in but to keep others out. You can leave anytime you want. If you want to go home for the night that is not a problem as long as you're back in time for training the next morning. Also if you want to stay here over the weekend that's all right too. However you will be on your own. We needed to find a place without distractions. We have lots of information to teach you and a very short time in which to do it."
"NO ONE WILL BE DROPPED FROM THIS PROGRAM IF YOU ARE DOING YOUR BEST. I don't know how to make it any clearer. However I expect you to help each other to achieve training goals. There are no pass or fail grades going to be handed out. But lack of motivation will not be tolerated. Fighting, drinking, drug usage, bullying, sexual harassment, and other similar offenses will result in you imminently being terminated from this program. If the offense is serious enough you will be prosecuted as well. As we are training with girls we will be really watching for sexual harassment. No name calling, casual contact, joke telling will be tolerated - that goes both ways, ladies. When the guys or gals are in there own group we will tolerate a certain amount of joking around but no name-calling. IS THAT UNDERSTOOD?"
"Yes, Capt. Wright"
"What was that. I thought I heard something?"
"YES, CAPT. WRIGHT."
"That's better. Your company commander is your boss. What they say goes. If your company commander is not around, Mark is your student commander. Show him the same respect that you would your company commander. If he asks you to jump, you ask how high. If your company commander can't work out a problem I'm next in your chain of command."
"The only time you will interface with Navy recruits is at chow time. Don't talk to them. They have also been instructed not to talk to you."
"You will be trained on the use of weapons, both lethal and non-lethal. You will be issued handguns. The uniformed officers will be issued 9-MM automatics and the undercover officers .25 caliber automatics. These are smart weapons. You will also be issued a ring or a bracelet that will be necessary for the weapon to work. The weapon will not fire unless it's within 6 inches of the ring or bracelet. That way if your weapon in taken away from you it can't be used on you. Batteries on these devices need to be changed once a week. You will be issued these weapons early in your training so that you can become accustomed to wearing them. The undercover officers have a smaller weapon because it will be worn concealed."
"In the next two months you will be receiving some of the best police training in the world. Your training will consist of as much as you can take. What you get out of it is up to you. We are estimating that it's going to cost $50,000 to train each and very one of you. That's why it's important for each and very one of you to do your very best. Along with the 60 uniformed and undercover officers we are putting in each school we will also have about 300 other kids wearing wires. These are kids who have had problems in the past. Regular Chicago police will back you up in the schools and SWAT teams if necessary. If we need the National Guard to back you up we'll do that too. This program has to work. And it's up to each and every one of you to make it work. That's all for now. Good luck to each and every one of you."
We got called to attention and were led out of the drill hall. We went back to the barracks and spent the rest of the afternoon organizing our new uniforms. We marched the mile over to the chow hall for dinner and then returned to the barracks. We spent the evening each introducing ourselves and just getting to know each other. I had a few minutes to myself before lights out and reflected on my day and made my journal entry. It had been a very long day. I fell asleep as soon as the lights went out.
To Be Continued...