ENTER SHAKESPEARE

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Note: This story is just one of seventeen taken from a novel by JAlexander called “SHIPWRECK”

David (still unconscious and dreaming) was not surprised when the “Man in White” stood before him and spoke these words into his head: “2 Thessalonians says; there will be a shout of command, the archangel’s voice, the sound of God’s trumpet, and the Lord himself will come down from heaven. Those who have died believing in Christ will rise to life first; then we who are living at the time will be gathered up alone with them to meet the Lord in the air. And so, we will always be with the Lord. So then, encourage one another with these words.”

David’s new friend Bob elaborated, “There’s an old movie theater and it shows the same picture over and over again. I think it’s a (Revised) version of Romeo and Juliet but I’ve never stopped long enough to see it all the way through. Apparently, it’s got a good message and it’s helped a lot of people, but I’m not into that movie stuff.

Bob and David just stood there looking at the marquee on the side of the old dilapidated movie house.

“Look,” Bob pointed out. “That’s the movie I told you would be playing. I think it’s about two kids who fall in love. The girl’s parents don’t like her choice, so, I don’t know if both of them commit suicide or just the boy.”
After a few minutes David suggested, “Let’s go watch it; if we don’t enjoy it, we can always go to sleep for a few hours.”

“Okay, you talked me into it. I can always use a little sleep!”

“Boy, this place sure is an oldie,” David remarked as he walked up to the lady in the cashier’s booth. “I’ll have two tickets please;” but when he didn’t receive a reply, he asked again putting his mouth closer to the little round metal piece in the center of the window.

He jumped back when he realized that what he thought was a woman was actually a robot. Its head came off its shoulders and smashed into the window. Startled, David jumped back and watched as the head recoiled back on the robot’s shoulders. With flashing red eyes, it spoke, “I heard you the first time; I have perfect hearing you know. Just go in, you don’t need tickets. It’s easy to see you don’t have any money and I’ve seen your friend around here before; I know for a fact that he doesn’t have a penny to his name.”

Once inside the room David commented, “I think the show is about to start, so, let’s find a seat!”

Although it was dark, David’s eyes adjusted quickly and he turned to Bob saying,

“Something weird is going on here. From the outside the building looks like it could hold a few hundred people, but now that we’re inside I can see that it’s the smallest theater in the world. It only has six seats and four of them are taken. Come on let’s grab those two empty ones before someone else gets them.”
After looking around the small room for a few minutes David elbowed Bob, reiterating,

“There’s something very odd about this place!”

His eyes settled on the three people behind him. Clearly, they didn’t look like real people, more like mannequins. There was a middle-aged couple and an older woman with a young teenage girl sitting next to her.

The movie was on pause and only started when David and Bob were seated and looking at the screen. Within ten minutes David jabbed Bob in the ribs and ordered, “Watch this!”

When he turned his head away, the movie stopped and when he looked back, it started again. Bob suggested, “Let me try it.” He turned away really fast and then back again, the same thing happened.

“We can forget about sleeping,” David said. “Because if one of us closes his eyes the movie will stop and we won’t miss a thing. So, I guess we’ll just have to watch it to the end.”

When the boys finely settled down and watched the screen, they saw a graveyard with a Preacher and about a dozen people staring at a headstone that read…

Richard Copeland
1979-1996
In Loving memory
From Juliet, to her Romeo

As the camera panned through the crowd, David saw three people who looked familiar, very familiar; as a matter of fact, they were sitting in the seats directly behind him.

“Hey Bob, the cast of this movie are in the building; maybe we can get their autographs after the show!”

The screen changed and there was a young couple kissing and holding each other close. In the next scene, they were walking in a wooded area and when they reached a fork in the road, they kissed again. The boy just stood there shaking his head as he watched the young girl disappear behind some trees.

The next scene was of a set of iron gates with a sign that read…

The Estate Of

William and Maureen

Vanderhoff

The scene changes again, and we see the same young girl walking into her house. Well, maybe we should say mansion, because this was definitely not your ordinary poor row house. The two homes did have something in common; whether you’re rich or poor you have problems. It’s just easier for the rich to cover them up.

“Brenda, where have you been? I thought I told you to come home right after school!”
Brenda didn’t say a word; she just gave her Mother a look and then started up the big wooden staircase.

“Where are you going young lady? I’m talking to you! How dare you; don’t you ever turn your back to me!” But when she made a grab for her daughter she tripped and spilled some of her drink.

With an arrogant tone in her voice, Brenda looked at her mother and said, “Don’t worry about the carpet Mommy dearest; there’s enough booze in it to keep you and Daddy drunk for a whole year.”

“Don’t use that tone of voice with me; I’m your Mother and you will show me some respect!”

Brenda shouted back as she reached the top of the stairs, “You don’t have any respect for yourself Mother, so why should I have any for you?”

Not much was said that night at dinner, but the air was heavy and Brenda knew that before the meal was finished, there would be a heated argument. Every night, before, during or after dinner, the same topic was discussed. Her father would start with, “Your mother told me that you were late coming home again today and that you talked back to her. I’ve told you many times I will not tolerate that kind of behavior in my house. Now that I have your attention, I hope you are not still seeing that kid Tricky or Spiky or whatever his name is. He’s not the kind of guy that you should be hanging around because he won’t amount to anything; those people never do.”

Brenda spoke up, “For the hundredth time Daddy, his name is Rickey, and he is going to be a ‘somebody’ someday. He’s the one that I want to spend the rest of my life with!”

Her Father stood up and shouted, “If you disobey me again, I will put you back in private school; at least you’ll be with your own kind. We should have never agreed to let you go to a public school; they’re filled with social rejects and only teach rebellion. The garbage that they speak and the weird music they play is the reason why this world is falling apart.”

“I’m sure the drinking and prescription drugs you and Mom use are a wonderful example to pass along to us, the next generation!”

Her Father stared at her and for the first time in her life, she saw him at a loss for words. He just sat down and continued eating. Brenda’s mom tried to stand up, but even holding onto the table and the back of the chair, she could barely get to her feet. Slurring her words she said, “Willard is that all you are going to say to your daughter?”

“You should talk Mother, the phony way you and Daddy live; always putting on airs, thinking you’re better than everyone else!

You’re such a great example for me to live by.

Maybe someone should make a movie or TV show so the whole world can see how a perfect family lives!” She then turned to walk away but stopped and with a little more contempt in her voice remarked, “If I’m going to turn out like you two, I’d rather die now!”

The next day Brenda’s heart skipped a beat as she stood near a little bridge and watched her Ricky walking towards her. They hugged and he gave her a little kiss on the cheek. “I can see that you and your parents had another battle,” he pointed to her red eyes.

“It doesn’t matter,” Brenda said, giving him another squeeze. “Let’s not spoil our day talking about them.”

Excitedly, Brenda continued, “I love the story of ‘Romeo and Juliet’; do you think you will get to play the part of Romeo?”

Ricky didn’t answer her, he just hung his head. As they started walking toward their school, Brenda gave her quiet shy man a big hug saying, “I’m so proud of you!”

They didn’t talk for a long time as they walked hand in hand. Brenda was first to break the silence and in almost a whisper she said, “I wish I was Juliet and then we could die in each other’s arms. Wouldn’t that be great?”

“Rickey just looked at her wondering, “Would she really die to prove her undying love for me?”

The two love birds were just coming out of the wooded area when they spotted Ricky’s arch enemy, big Johnny Summerville. Looking down at the two of them Johnny remarked, “Well, well, what do we have here?”
Ricky dropped Brenda’s hand and with a little push put her behind him for protection.

Johnny stood right in front of the couple and because he was over six foot tall, he easily dwarfed them.

Ricky tried to get in Johnny’s face, but they were standing so close that all he could see was the big guy’s chest. He then tried to step back but Johnny just talked over him and commented to Brenda, “Why don’t you get rid of this loser, and be my girl again? I’m sure you miss being with a real man?”

Ricky moved to his right to try and go around the massive body blocking his path. He only moved about two feet when he felt a big hand around his throat and then he felt his feet leaving the ground. He tried with all his strength to break the hold on his neck, but with each passing minute Ricky could feel his body going limp.

Brenda was screaming out loud, “Please help us, he’s going to kill Ricky!!”

Out of nowhere came the very familiar face of Mr. Munford, the gym instructor. Reaching up he quickly grabbed Big Johnny under the right arm squeezing with all his strength. This caused the big guy to scream out loud and he reluctantly released his hold on Ricky’s throat. When Johnny turned and saw that it was Mr. Munford attacking him, he stopped swearing and fell to his knees. He didn’t stay down for long and when he got to his feet he muttered something under his breath, and then headed for the school without looking back.

Looking at Mr. Munford Brenda questioned, “How did you make Johnny release Rickey so quickly? All I could see was your hand going under his arm.”

“As you can see, I’m not much bigger than Ricky so I had to learn to defend myself, or I would have to go through life taking beatings from the big ‘Johnny’s’ of this world. So my five years in the Marines and a black belt in Karate came in handy. Oh! One more thing; always remember that life is about choices so always try to make the right ones!”

Brenda pondered, “So much for the mild-mannered Gym teacher!”

Ricky didn’t comment; he just lowered his head and walked away. He was embarrassed once again in front of his girlfriend. He didn’t know it at the time, but Brenda loved him more than life and when they were together, he didn’t need to prove he was a man.

Thanking Mr. Munford, Brenda hurried off to catch up to Ricky. But, by the time she reached the road in front of the school, he was already going through the big double doors.

The rest of the day didn’t go well for Ricky.

The story of how Mr. Munford had to rescue him from big bad Johnny went around the school faster than a speeding bullet. Brenda waited at the main door of the gym until after five o’clock. The drama class students were filling into the room and the auditions were starting. After some minor roles were filled, the call went out for the students who were trying out for the two main characters,

Romeo and Juliet. Even Mr. Jackman, the director, seemed to be stalling a little bit hoping to see Ricky walk through the doors. When he couldn’t wait any longer, he asked the ladies to come forward. It took only about fifteen minutes to select Mary Stinebrack, a beautiful grade eleven student to play Juliet. Her mother and father were well known in the entertainment industry.

The director took one last look around the room, and then he gave a signal for the boys wanting to play Romeo to come on the stage. It took longer to choose Romeo but finally Stan Johnston, a shy but very good-looking boy was chosen. After thanking everyone, the director announced that rehearsals would start next Monday.

Brenda walked home very slowly hoping that Ricky would come up behind her or jump out from behind a tree but that didn’t happen. As soon as she got into the house, she called Ricky but he wasn’t at home. She did get to talk to his grandmother. “Hello, Mrs. Manning this is Brenda, a friend of Ricky’s. Do you know when he’ll be home? He was at school today but he left early.”

With a shaky voice she replied, “No I haven’t seen him since this morning. What did you say your name was?”

“Brenda; please have Ricky call me as soon as he comes in.”

The next day was Friday and Ricky didn’t show up for his first class. Brenda was getting really worried so she called his grandmother again.

Mrs. Manning admitted, “I’ve been worried too since he didn’t come home last night; that’s not like Ricky to stay out all night and not call me.”

She told Brenda that she didn’t know where he was but she was praying nothing bad had happened to him. “I’m just his Grandmother and I love him dearly, but we can’t communicate. He’s been through a lot and I’m sure he feels deserted. His father is in jail and his mother left him on my doorstep with nothing but a small suitcase and a few dollars in his pocket. Even before he came to live with me, I was finding it hard to get by with my small pension, but Ricky tried to help out by working part time. Even that money is gone since some man named Mr. Vanderhoff spoke to his boss.”

A few days later Brenda got a call from Rickey’s grandmother, telling her she had just seen Rickey. “He only stayed a few minutes, just long enough to tell me he was staying with some friends and not to worry. I told him you had called and that you needed to see him. He said to tell you that you’re better off without him, and that you need to find someone from your own world to love. He also said that your father was right; he’s just a loser from the wrong side of the tracks.”
Through her tears Brenda asked, “Did he say where he was staying?”

“No, but he did make it very clear that he didn’t want to see you anymore. I’m sorry my dear, but that’s life.”

Brenda let the phone drop out of her hand and fell back into a big chair and couldn’t stop crying. An hour later her mother staggered by the living room door and watched her sobbing and asked, “What’s wrong with you; are you sick or what?”

Brenda didn’t reply; she just gave her mother a dirty look and made a motion with her hand telling her to go away.

“Okay, if that’s the way you feel, I’ll leave!”

Giving Brenda a dirty look she stumbled and spilled the last of her drink on her already messy dress. “Now look what you’ve done!” as she made a loud burp and walked away.

When Brenda didn’t come down for dinner, her father went up to check on her. He went to her room and knocked a few times, but when she didn’t answer he went back downstairs.

Sitting at the dinner table, Willard looked at his half-asleep wife and questioned, “Did you see Brenda go out or were you sleeping most of the day?”

“If I had someone to talk to I wouldn’t have to get drunk or stoned and maybe I could stay awake. All I can remember was her sitting in a chair crying and when I asked her why, she just dismissed me with a flick of her hand.”

“Oh well, she’ll come home when she hungry. I’m not going to worry about her, let’s just eat dinner. I’ve got some work to do tonight so it will be quiet around here for a change.”

Brenda had her mother’s car, but she knew it wouldn’t be missed, because it was always in the garage. Her mother had lost her license last year for a DUI and her dad always parked in the driveway. He wouldn’t notice that his wife’s car was gone.

Driving around crying and confused, Brenda didn’t know where to go or who to call. She knew Ricky didn’t have very many friends but there was one guy at school named “Ragman” that he sometimes talked to. The guy was known for selling drugs, but as far as she knew, Ricky didn’t do drugs or drink.

Brenda remembered a place in town called “Crazy Eddie’s” where a lot of the kids from her school hung out. People said it wasn’t a nice place, but because she had never been inside, she really didn’t know how bad it was.
Sitting outside the bar for a long time, Brenda tried to get enough nerve to go in. She knew the place was hopping because she could hear the loud music and could see a stream of kids coming and going.

After thinking about Ricky for a while, she dried her eyes and got into the long lineup. She couldn’t help but hear a girl in the line say to her friend, “Will you look at who’s here? I guess we’ll have to find somewhere else to hang out now that the rich people are starting to frequent the place. I’m sure the management will be putting the prices up so high that we poor folk will have to go somewhere else to drink!”

Brenda just ignored her and besides, no one was listening to the loud mouth anyway. The line moved quickly and before Brenda knew it, she was inside the cattle barn.

Although the place was packed solid, Brenda recognized a lot of the kids, but she didn’t know any of their names.

Brenda was very good looking and because she wore very expensive clothes, she stood out from the rest of the crowd. A few guys gave her the once-over but soon realized she was out of their league. One guy was standing a few feet away and kept staring at her like he knew her, but was surprised to see her in a place like this. Walking over and standing beside her, he said, “Hi I’m Sean. You probably don’t remember me but I’m a friend of your ex-boyfriend, Johnny Summerville.”
Without looking at him Brenda replied,

“That’s nice.”

He questioned, “So how come you’re in a place like this? It’s definitely not your average Country Club! I know you’re not here to score some drugs, because all you rich people have to do is place an order and it’s delivered to your front door, or should I say, back door.”
Giving him a dirty look, she said; “It must be a tough life if the only friend you have is Johnny Summerville.

By the way, the only reason I’m here is to find a friend who is very important to me. Do you know a guy that hangs out here sometimes, called Ragman?”

“Maybe I do; is he a friend of your friend?”

Not waiting for an answer Sean continued, “What was your friend’s name again?”

“His name is Ricky, Ricky Copeland.”

“You don’t mean Ricky Copeland the loser. I heard he‘s a little fairy, if you know what I mean; he likes boys not girls!”

Sean was starting to get to her, so in a very loud voice she blurted out, “You don’t know what you’re talking about. I’ll tell you something squirt; Ricky’s my boyfriend and he’s more of a man than you and Johnny Summerville will ever be. So just tell me if you know the ‘Ragman’ or not! If you don’t, then just go away and leave me alone.”

“Okay! I know him, he’ll be here soon and I’ll introduce you, but you’ll have to get in line, because the minute he walks through that door there will be people all over him. He sells the stuff dreams are made of and tonight he’ll be making a lot of people very, very happy. I think he should be called the ‘Candy Man’ not the ‘Ragman’.”

Standing by the door Brenda waited for the only person who might know where she can find her Ricky. It wasn’t long before someone yelled out, “The Ragman’s here, so let’s all pool our money and buy lots of that good stuff and then we can party all night long!”

Brenda could see the young people’s smiling faces as they formed a big line in front of the most popular guy in the room.

Waiting patiently till the line got smaller, Brenda finally got her first look at the “Ragman.” But before she could get to him someone came over and whispered something in his ear and he bolted towards the exit door. Brenda was right behind calling, “Wait, I need to talk to you! Please, it’s about Ricky Copeland, I’m his girlfriend.”
The “Ragman” stopped when he got to the end of the alleyway and yelled back at her, “Look lady, I just give them what they want and if they don’t get it from me, they’ll get it from someone else.”

Brenda caught up to him saying, “Please, just tell me where Ricky is, so I can help him.”
“I think he’s down on Jarvis Street; there’s a flop house near the Belmont Hotel.”

Before he could finish what, he was saying he was surrounded by five big burly policemen. One big officer came up beside them and commented, “Well, well, what do we have here? Bonnie and Clyde!”

Brenda looked at the officer pointedly; “I’m not with him. I was just asking him if he had seen my friend?”

“Sure, you were; and then he can give you and your friend a magic carpet ride to a land where you’ll live happily ever after.” The officer then made a motion to one of the other policemen to take them both away.

One of the officers from 52 Division called Brenda’s father and told him, “We’re holding your daughter on charges of selling drugs.”
In a very harsh voice Mr. Vanderhoff hollered into the phone, “I’ll be right there with my lawyer and you better be treating my daughter like she is one of your own kids, do you hear me?”

After hitting speed dial, Brenda’s father put the phone on speaker so he could grab his coat and hat while he waited for someone to answer.

“Hello, this is the office of Richard M. Clark, Barrister; how may I help?”

“This is Willard Vanderhoff; tell Richard to meet me at 52 Division right away!”

Walking into 52 Division, Mr. Vanderhoff yelled out, “I want to see my daughter now!”
The on-duty Sergeant came out from behind his desk saying, “Sir, please calm down and I’ll try to help you.”

“I won’t calm down and I demand that you bring my daughter out here immediately!”

“What’s your daughter’s name, Sir?”

In a very loud voice he replied, “It’s Brenda Vanderhoff,” as he tried to push the officer out of his way.

“Please Sir, just sit down and relax.”

“Don’t tell me to relax; I’m Brenda’s father and you’re treating her like a common criminal. I want to speak to Chief Miller right now!”

“I’m sorry Sir, but Chief Miller is not available. He works out of head office and besides, he doesn’t work nights; if you’ll just take a seat, I’ll try to help you.”

Willard Vanderhoff finally sat down, but he was very agitated. He kept asking questions but no one was listening to him. The ringing of his phone startled him, but he calmed down when he heard his wife’s voice.

“What’s going on Willard, and when are you bringing our daughter home?”

“I’m trying to get her out of here, but these people aren’t cooperating. Maureen, I have to go, Richard just walked in. Yes, I’ll call you later; I’m sure everything is going to be okay.”
Hi Willard, sorry about the tuxedo, but I was at a dinner party when I received your message.

So, what’s the problem my friend?”

“Maureen and I were just sitting at home when we got a call from the police saying they arrested Brenda for selling drugs. Please just get my daughter out of here!”

Richard went over to the sergeant and introduced himself. “I’m Brenda Vanderhoff’s lawyer; may I see her?”

“She’s in a holding cell and you can’t see her until she’s been booked and questioned by one of our drug squad officers.”

“Listen Sergeant, I don’t want to go over your head, but if I have to, I will. This is Mr. Willard Vanderhoff’s daughter; he’s a very prominent citizen, with very important friends.”

“I’m sure he is, but we have to follow the rules, and the rules apply to everyone, rich or poor!”

Richard stepped back and taking out his cell phone, he dialed Chief Miller. “Sorry to bother you at home, Ralph, but we have a situation down here at 52 Division. I’m with Bill Vanderhoff, they have his daughter in custody, and they won’t let me see her. Okay, thanks Ralph.”

Turning to the Sergeant he told him, “Your boss wants to talk to you.”

“Yes Sir, I understand completely.”
The very apologetic Sergeant handed the phone back to Richard and told him, “I’ll have Miss Vanderhoff brought up to the first interview room on the left.”

Mr. Vanderhoff was pacing the floor when he saw an officer bringing Brenda down the hall in handcuffs. In a loud voice he ordered, “Get those handcuffs off my daughter!”
Richard stepped in front of him and said to the officer, “Are those really necessary?”

“Yes” was the reply; “It’s protocol.”
The Sergeant came from behind his desk and said, “It’s okay Johnson; just remove the handcuffs and go back down stairs.”

He then pointed to one of the rooms saying, “You guys can talk in there while I get the release papers.”

Richard nodded to Willard; “You go in with Brenda and I’ll look after the paperwork.”
“What’s going on Brenda, were you selling drugs?”

“Absolutely not; why would you even ask?”

“Then tell me why you were hanging around with those people?”

“I was looking for Ricky; you know, the loser that you had fired from his part time job!”

“Brenda you’re my whole life, and I was only trying to protect you. I don’t know why you can’t see that!”

“Oh no Dad; you’re not trying to protect me, you’re only worried about your reputation, “Mr. Big Important Businessman.” You only care about your rich country club friends and those faceless boardroom puppets that you call staff. You and Mom may be able to fool the public, but I know the real rich hypocrites that live in a mansion at 63227 Balmoral Drive. I’m telling you right know Dad; if anything happens to Ricky, and I find out that it was your fault, I’ll never forgive you!”

Standing in the doorway, Richard said, “Sorry to interrupt you Willard, but I’ve completed all the paper work, so you can take Brenda home now.”

“Thanks for all your help Richard.”

“No problem, you’ll get my bill in the morning.”

As Brenda and her Father drove home, there was little to no conversation. When they entered the house, Brenda’s mom tried to give her a hug, but she walked right by her and ran upstairs. “Willard, what’s going on?”
“I don’t know where we went wrong, but I feel like we’re losing our daughter. We gave her everything and now this is how she is treating us. She has a choice to make; it’s either him or us.”

The next morning Brenda wasted no time contacting Ricky’s grandmother. “Hi, Mrs. Manning; this is Brenda, have you heard from Ricky?”

“No dear, but I’ve been praying day and night. I’m so worried that something bad will happen to him. I’ve even asked God to protect him and bring him home safe and sound.”

Through her tears Brenda said, “I promise you that I will find him and bring him home.”

To say Brenda was scared was an understatement. The thought of going into an old dilapidated building on Jarvis Street to face her worst nightmares sent a chill down her spine. Another problem she needed to solve was her wardrobe, because she would stand out like a sore thumb wearing anything from her closet. She remembered some old clothes in the basement that she wore for Halloween one year and along with her dad’s old weather-beaten baseball hat, she was sure she would fit right in.

Brenda tried not to make eye contact with the poor souls she passed on Jarvis street. She felt relieved when she saw an old rusty sign that read The Belmont Hotel. She jumped when she heard a gruff voice said, “Hey, ya got any change or a cigarette?”

Trying to sound tough Brenda shouted, “No I ain’t got nothing; do I look rich to you?”

When Brenda reached the corner, she stood in front of the building not knowing what to do next. She could see an old man leaning against a door that was hanging by one hinge.

“Who are you looking for, Lady?”

Brenda looked him over and thought what the heck; ‘I need help and this guy is as good as anyone.’ Giving him a little smile, she asked, “I guess I stand out like a sore thumb?”

“Oh no, not really; lots of people come to this part of town looking for one thing or another. When I looked at you, I knew you needed help. Do you want to buy some stuff?”

“Oh no, I’m just looking for a friend. I think he’s got himself into a mess that he can’t get out of on his own.”

“You got a picture of your friend?”

“Yes, I do,” she replied as she handed him a small snapshot of her and Ricky.

“This might be your lucky day lady; come with me.”

Brenda hesitated for a moment and then thought to herself, ‘if I don’t go now, I may never see Ricky again.’

“Well, what’ll it be Lady? Do you want me to take you to him or not? You can trust me. I might be down and out but I’m not a bad person, so it’s up to you.”

“Okay Sir, lead the way.”

The old man took a few steps and without turning around he warned, “This ain’t the Ritz; you might not like what you see, but don’t judge them. They didn’t ask for this kind of life; they just made the wrong choices and now they are paying for it.”

Brenda couldn’t believe her eyes. She knew homeless people had a hard life, but she wasn’t prepared for what she was seeing.

Stepping over a guy with a needle hanging out of his arm, Brenda made it to the first step, but then cringed and almost lost her balance as her shoe made contact with human excrement. However, the trouble she was having with all the obstacles was nothing compared to the stench! Brenda felt herself getting sicker by the minute as the fresh air diminished the deeper, she went into the building.

The old man stopped and pointed to a room at the end of the dark hallway. “How about a few dollars for my troubles?”

“Sure,” Brenda replied as she handed him a ten-dollar bill. Grabbing the money and moving away quickly, Brenda heard him say, “Thanks Lady, I hope you’re not too late.”

Brenda just stood there trying to understand what the old man meant by his remark. Then she thought, ‘I’ve come this far; I can’t turn around now.’ As she slowly opened the door and looked inside, she could see everything in the room but no sign of life.

As her eyes adjusted even more, she could make out two people; one was sitting on a box and the other was on the floor with their back against the wall. “Ricky, is that you?”
“Who wants to know?”

“It’s me Ricky; I’m so glad I found you! Please get up and come home with me. You know you don’t belong here.”

“No, you’re the one who shouldn’t be here.

Why don’t you go back to your world and ask your rich daddy to donate a few bucks to make this flop house into a Social Club?”

“Please Ricky, stop saying those things and come with me. We need to get out of here now!”

Ricky just laughed out loud, sarcastically replying, “I’ll go with you to your house if I can bring all my buddies.”

Ricky, it’s not my fault that I was born into a rich family; I don’t like it any more than you do. Please believe me; I’d give up everything to spend the rest of my life with you!”

Her heart skipped a beat when she saw him coming towards her. “Do you really mean it; you would give up everything for me?”

“Yes Ricky, trust me; I love you that much!”

“Okay we’ll get out of here; but if you’re lying to me, I’ll come back here and you’ll never see me again.”

Ricky’s Grandmother started crying and thanking God for bringing him home safely to her. After hugging Brenda for a few minutes, she insisted, “You two go and get cleaned up while I fix something to eat.”

“Oh, I can’t stay Mrs. Manning, I have some things to take care of, but I’ll be back later.”
After kissing Ricky on the cheek and giving him a big hug, Brenda said, “I promise you my love, I’ll be back in a few hours.”

When Brenda entered her house, she saw four suitcases in the hallway and could hear her parents talking in the living room.

“What’s going on; are you guys going on a trip?”

Her Mother stood up and walked toward her smiling, “We’re all going on a nice long vacation. I’ve packed a bag for you honey and if I’ve forgotten anything, we can just buy it later.”

Brenda’s Father was on the phone and when he finished, he turned to the girls saying, “All set, the limo will be here in twenty minutes.”
Brenda started to back out of the room insisting, “I’m not going anywhere!”
“Oh yes you are!” her father demanded. “You’re only seventeen and you’ll do as I say. You’ll have to wait till next year to ruin your life, but for now, this family will live by my rules.”

Crying uncontrollably, Brenda ran upstairs to her room and threw herself on the bed. She didn’t lay there for very long because she realized that she only had a few minutes to reach Ricky and try to explain why she had to break her promise to him. Grabbing the phone by her bed she dialed Ricky’s number. She panicked when she heard Mrs. Manning’s voice.

“Hi Brenda, are you coming over?”

“No, not right now, can I speak to Ricky please?”

“He’s still in the shower and I’m sure he’ll be in there for a while.”

“Listen to me; I need you to tell him that something has come up and I have to go away for a little while, but when I come back, we’ll be together forever.”

A Few Days Later

Brenda called Ricky’s house the minute she got to use a phone.

“Hi Mrs. Manning, this is Brenda; Can I speak to Ricky?”

“I’m sorry he’s not here. He left just after you called the last time and I haven’t seen or heard from him since. I did tell him you would call him when you got back, but he just muttered something about a promise and that you let him down, just like everyone else. I remember him saying something about a revised version of Romeo and Juliet, where only Romeo dies.”

“Why don’t you come and visit me, my Dear, and together we can pray and ask God to bring our Ricky home safely?”

Brenda couldn’t speak. She just let the phone fall from her hand and then she collapsed on the floor beside it.

As she lay there on the floor, she remembered the day she found her precious Ricky, and it tore her apart to think he was back there in that dirty room on Jarvis Street. She could see him sitting on the floor with his back to the wall. But this time she pictured him with his head lying to one side with a needle sticking out of his arm. Letting out a painful cry, Brenda passed out.

When Willard and Maureen got back to their cabin, they found their daughter lying on the floor. “Willard, don’t just stand there; go and get some help!”

With a shaky hand he grabbed the phone and dialed the operator. “Hello this is Willard Vanderhoff in cabin 67; we have a medical emergency, send the ship’s doctor right away!”

When Brenda woke up, she could see her mother and father and a doctor standing over her. “Are you okay?” her Mother questioned; “You gave us quite a scare!”

“No, I’m not okay, and it’s all because of you father. I’ll be leaving this ship as soon as we reach the next port. I’m sure you two will want to stay on board and celebrate how you finely managed to end Ricky’s life. But mark my words, you didn’t just kill him, you destroyed a part of me and for that I’ll never forgive you.”

When David and Bob saw a group of people at a funeral, they knew the movie was just about over. As they watched, the camera zoomed in for a close up, showing four people staring down at a headstone that read,

Richard “Ricky” Copeland
1979-1996
In loving memory from Juliet, to her Romeo

David said, “Come on Bob; I think we should go; the movie is over.” But when they stood up, they noticed that the four people sitting behind them weren’t getting up. As they looked back at the screen they understood why. The movie had started playing again and these people were the main characters. They were trapped in a time machine, held there by their “Pain and Guilt” unable to get back to the road called “Grief.”

“Bob, I don’t know why I’m saying this, but if these people don’t find God, I’m sure they will be stuck in this place for eternity.”

Although David didn’t relate to anyone in the group, he should have seen the similarities between himself and Willard Vanderhoff. But for some unknown reason, he didn’t make the connection and that’s unfortunate, because he would have learned a valuable lesson.

When David and Bob got back to the main road, they had to settle a little dispute. David wanted to get going, but Bob was in no hurry.

“Let’s just sit here and talk about those people in that weird movie.”

“I know why you don’t want to get going; you’re stuck here like they are; immobilized in ‘Pain and Guilt.’ But I guess it’s better than facing what lies ahead.”

Bob just lowered his head and admitted, “You’re right my friend, but I don’t have any other choice.”

“Oh yes you do; just talk to God and he’ll show you the way.”

John 15:5 – Apart from me, you can do nothing!

BY JALEXANDER