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Croc 2251

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“Bill, why don’t you go introduce yourself to your new neighbor? He looked like he’s your age.” Patricia Knight suggested to her son, who was busy jamming his thumbs into the A and B buttons of a Game Boy. He did not respond, and she repeated herself. “Wilbert, a little help?”

Bill’s father entered the room, a large figure with a kind, rounded face. Patricia nodded towards their son, plopped on the couch. All of his attention was turned to that electronic game of his. This argument had taken place numerous times, and another was about to begin. Wilbert Knight found himself praying that the new kid might be a friendly one, so that Bill wouldn’t find himself cooped up inside the house so much. He and Patricia had argued endlessly, blaming each other for his laziness. But in the end, it was simply his unwillingness. He was not a spoiled child, but he could be silently stubborn, which could become extremely frustrating.

“Bill, come on now. Why don’t you go meet the boy next door?” his father probed gently. Though Bill knew what was upcoming, he still did not respond. “William Joseph Knight! You had better listen to me when I’m talking to you!” the man bellowed with all of his might.

As the roar had begun, the Game Boy had tumbled out of his hands. Without talking to his father, Bill slipped into his pair of sandals and walked out the door. Patricia watched him walk sullenly over to the house next door, which had been, until just this morning, unoccupied. His hands were stuffed in his pockets and he was staring at the ground.

“Oh, I wish you wouldn’t do that, Wilbert…” Patricia sighed. “He’s only five years old.”

“Honey, he won’t listen if we say it in any other tone.”

“I know, I know, but it feels like we’re pressing so hard on him.”

12-Jul-2011 11:31:51 - Last edited on 12-Jul-2011 11:44:41 by Croc 2251

Croc 2251

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Wilbert Knight walked over and put a comforting arm around his wife’s shoulder. He kissed her hair gently, noticing the strawberry fragrance of her shampoo. The two of them watched him as he approached the house next door. Lightly, he grabbed her chin and turned it towards him. He kissed her lightly on the lips.

“It’ll be all right.”

Bill Knight wasn’t an extraordinary kid. In fact, he was simply ordinary. He had no special talents, no athleticism, no unusual brainpower. He also had no character flaws; he was not necessarily disobedient, stupid, or stubborn, either. He just was. He’d never had many friends. In fact, he’d only had one friend in his young life. That friend had moved away years ago, though, and he hadn’t actually remembered the relationship they shared (he could no longer remember his friend’s name). And though he was eager to meet this new child, he would never show it; to do so would probably result in a turn-away. His mother had said that this boy looked like he was around Bill’s age.

Well, that could mean anything, the Knight child thought to himself. He could be ten or eleven, and my mom still would have said he looked like he was around my age. For a second, he considered turning back, in the fear that he’d be embarrassed asking to be friends with a larger, intimidating child. But as he looked back, he saw the hopeful faces of his parents urging him on from the kitchen window, and realized he had no real choice. He progressed slowly now, thinking over what he’d say. He wondered if he should make a polite introduction or if he should just come right out and pop the question: Wanna be friends? These thoughts continued to swirl around in his head while the short dozen steps to the neighbor’s house extended into an endless tunnel of thought, whose end was barely visible.

12-Jul-2011 11:32:01 - Last edited on 12-Jul-2011 11:45:43 by Croc 2251

Croc 2251

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Joshua had seen the boy from his bedroom window. The first impression he had of this neighbor of his was that he was extremely slow. Like a sloth. He giggled to himself, imagining a sloth trolling its way on over to his house. But the boy wasn’t lazy; he was thoughtful. While his feet kicked away at stones, his face resembled that of one in deep contemplation. His thick, dirty blonde hair fell across his forehead in one tumble, and he seemed to stumble back in surprise. He brushed the hair out of the way, and continued forward.

Finally, the boy reached the door. The ringing sound filled the house, and Josh Landry waited for his mother to answer it. When she did*’t, he realized she must be out in the backyard, working on their yard. He sighed and jumped from the mattress that seemed extremely misplaced amongst the dozens of moving boxes stacked up around it. Unfamiliar with the house, it took him a moment to locate the doorway. But when he did, he stood for a moment, in hesitation. It was a vision, of sorts. He knew at that moment that if he opened that door, he would have to befriend the boy on the other side. He hadn’t had a friend since his father’s death a year ago, and he felt he’d never want one. But lately his life had seemed extremely lonely, especially with his mother working long nights.

On the other side of the door, Bill grinned. He wouldn’t have to confront anyone who did*’t want to be confronted. He’ll just sit in his room, waiting for me to go away, Bill assumed. And I’m not waiting around for him!

With that, Knight turned, heading back the way he came. But to his extreme dismay, the creaking of a door came from behind him. He turned back around, expecting to see a large, ten or eleven year old child towering over him. “Get lost, kiddo,” the teenager would say, “or I’ll get rid of you myself.”

12-Jul-2011 11:41:32 - Last edited on 12-Jul-2011 11:46:33 by Croc 2251

Croc 2251

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But this was no teenager. In fact, Patricia Knight had been right on the money: the child looked to be the same age as Bill. A young boy no older than six stood before him. He had dark red hair (that would eventually turn a smooth brown when he grew). His face showed his anxiety and fear. My face probably looks the same way, Bill thought, because I was just as scared of this meeting as he was. Relief swept over both children at once, and they both smiled. The smiles somehow triggered laughter, and without knowing it at the time, the two children had begun a friendship that would last them for many years to come. After the laughter settled into chuckles and then ceased altogether, the introductions were made.

“I’m Bill. Well, Bill Knight. I live right next door.”

“I’m Joshua.” Bill found his childish slur amusing. He had drawn out his name to its full extent, so it sounded like three individual words: Josh-oo-uh.

No handshake was necessary. The two looked into each other’s eyes, which answered all of their questions: Yes, I will be your friend. Bill was personally filled with happiness, and elated that he had decided to meet this child. Now he’d have a friend with which to enjoy life. Josh was happy as well, because he knew there’d be no more lonely nights.

“How old are you, Joshua?”

“Four,” he responded, holding up four fingers. “How old are you?”

“Five. But barely.” Bill smiled and tried to wink as his father had shown him. However, it succeeded only in distorting his facial expression and drawing an awkward reaction from his new friend. As Josh flinched, his mother appeared from the house, a concerned look on her face. She looked back and forth at each of the boys as she settled in a defensive-looking position behind Joshua with her hands on his shoulders.

12-Jul-2011 11:41:44 - Last edited on 12-Jul-2011 11:47:51 by Croc 2251

Croc 2251

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Finally, she spoke as she offered her hand to Bill: “Are you our neighbor?” her speech sounded like a serious impairment, but Knight knew she was only slowing her words because she thought he couldn’t understand them.
“I’m Mrs. Landry, and this is my son, Joshua.”

“Mom, Bill is my new friend,” the Landry child mentioned to his mother as he ****** his head upward to look at her.

Her look was that of surprise and joy. She smiled and peered down at Knight. “Well then,” she said, “would you like to join us for lunch?” After looking from Joshua back to his mother, Bill nodded. “Come on in, then; I’ve got two sandwiches already made. You guys can munch on those while I stir up some lemonade.”

From their kitchen window, the Knights watched their son enter the Landry house and both let out a sigh of relief at once. They had seen the two boys talking, but because they couldn’t see Bill’s face, they did*’t know if the introductions were going well or not. When they had seen Kim Landry defensively stand behind her son, Wilbert had speculated that it probably wasn’t going well. But then it seemed to ease up, and the three had headed into the house.

“Oh, Wilbert, I’m so glad he’s found a friend. So glad!”

“So am I, honey. He’ll be just fine; just fine.” Wilbert consoled his wife as he held her tighter to him. The two of them kissed briefly, and then Wilbert looked at his watch. “Oh! I’ll be late to that lunch meeting if I don’t head off soon. I’ll be back around 4:00.” He walked out the door and to his car, taking a glance over his shoulder at the Landry house, where Josh and Bill could be heard gleefully giggling as they played in the backyard. Everything will be just fine, Wilbert Knight thought to himself.

And for the next six years, everything was fine.

12-Jul-2011 11:41:53 - Last edited on 12-Jul-2011 11:48:56 by Croc 2251

Croc 2251

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Six years later, the two boys had grown significantly. But the bond that had begun when they were still small remained. Neither child had made any other friends, nor had they trusted any others. Lately, though, Bill had suspected a rapidly maturing process occurring in his friend. He’d been a lot more excited and daring recently. Later in his life he would refer to this process as early *******. As his friend underwent this process, his temper became extreme noticeable. It had never been dealt in Bill’s direction, but he’d seen its results from the fights that Joshua initiated and the teachers he disrespected.

It was now summertime, and the two boys were trekking around the woods behind their neighborhood. When they had first proposed the idea of mapping the area, their parents had strongly objected. They’d get lost, or they’d get kidnapped. The two boys had eventually dissuaded these ideas and their parents had allowed them to go. Really, though, they weren’t planning to map the area or make secret forts in the woods. Bill suspected that their parents were probably aware of this, hence the true reason for their objection. Landry hadn’t yet told him what the secret was, but he knew they weren’t heading deep into the woods to see anything short of "bad." Knight had become very familiar with the word, and often associated it with Josh’s actions (never Landry himself, though). It was a word that described the high that one could feel while daring to defy authority, to fall forth to the temptations of the world. Following it was an immediate downer, though: the shame and guilt.

12-Jul-2011 11:49:58

Croc 2251

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Joshua led him by about ten feet. Landry felt a giddy excitement rising in his belly, the same he’d felt when he first encountered the Playboy magazine. He’d found it in the trashcan behind the local drugstore, and had pocketed it immediately. But those were personal matters, and he’d never spoken even to Bill about them. This was different, though: this time, it was a half-full pack of Marlboros he’d found on his back porch. They belonged to his mother, a frequent smoker since his father’s death. She’d never been the same after that fatal night. It had affected the child as well, and he often found himself dwelling on his memories of his father and the story of his death. Even though he was far from anything that could physically upset him, he felt a deep rage awaken inside of him in the recalling of his father’s death.

“Hurry your ass up!” he screamed at Bill. For a moment, Knight hesitated, but then quickly jogged down the hill to meet up with his friend. After a moment of silence between the two, Landry calmed down a bit. “Sorry about that; I’m just scared someone might find us down here.”

“It’s okay,” Bill really had appreciated the apology, because he knew Joshua never would have apologized to anyone else. “What is this, anyway? I really hope you did*’t drag me all the way up here to show me a secret handshake or something,” he jokingly nudged at his friend. But no response came, and Bill knew that it wasn’t anything as simple as he might have thought. Now, he actually feared what Landry might pull out. What if it’s a knife? He thought as the panic seized him, What if it’s a gun?!

12-Jul-2011 11:50:58

Croc 2251

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His fears came to a rest, though, when he saw what Josh actually had. It was a square package bulging out of his pants pocket. Without questioning, Bill Knight knew what it was: cigarettes. From what his parents had told him, he knew that all cigarettes were cow dung wrapped in a firm used toilet paper. But he often doubted this explanation. If they taste so disgusting, why would anyone ever smoke? Interestingly, his parents* explanation had probably further motivated him to try them. It was that feeling of "bad," defying authority. He knew in the back of his mind he shouldn’t be doing it, but the temptation was overwhelming.

“Have you figured it out yet?” Landry whispered. Bill shook his head. To tell him would destroy the purpose of the secret entirely. It would ruin Josh’s upcoming triumph. After looking around briefly, the boy reached into his pocket and slid out the pack. “They’re cigarettes. Marlboros. I stole ’em from my mom.”

From his other pocket he drew a lighter. Bill had known he would want him to smoke, but he hadn’t yet decided whether or not to fall victim to the peer pressure. It went back and forth in his head; either he’d have an angry friend or an angry pair of parents. At the moment, it seemed that he’d prefer the latter, but he knew that as soon as he got home that opinion would change. Somehow, parents just knew things, and Bill suspected they’d know if he had smoked, too. He ran his hand through his hair, which was now a light-brown. I’m just going to tell him I’ve already smoked and they tasted bad, Bill thought. Then, in contradiction, No. He’ll know. But I think I’d rather turn him down than disappoint my parents.

12-Jul-2011 11:52:07

Croc 2251

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Just after Joshua had lit his cigarette, an older child appeared from far up the hill to their left. In fact, he must have been a teenager. His curly hair seemed to go in every direction. At first, he did not see the two boys. However, he sniffed at the air, in the same way that a dog smells out their food. He’d smelled the Landry boy’s cigarette smoke, and now looked down to the base of the hill, where he spotted them. Knight tugged at his friend’s sleeve, but he was already looking in the teenager’s direction. Though Bill would have put out the cigarette and ran, he knew that Josh would not do this. It was a question of manhood, it seemed. The two boys stared each other down for at least a minute. Silence loomed over the forest. It was finally broken when the teenager started laughing.

“What have we here?” he chuckled.

“Wait up!” a female voice called from behind him. “Who’re you talking to, anyway?”

“Just a couple of bad kids,” he called over his shoulder. She appeared over the hill beside him, and to Josh’s dismay, she was just as ugly as her friend. Now the teenager began to walk down the hill. As he was wobbling to hold his balance, he called down, “You guys sure you should be smoking?”

“We’ll do whatever the hell we want to.” Landry replied coldly, his fixated stare still unbroken.

“Come on, Josh,” Bill tried to grab his arm and direct him away from the other. Ironically enough, Knight wasn’t trying to protect his friend; he was trying to protect this cocky teenager from Josh.

12-Jul-2011 11:53:13

Croc 2251

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“What’d you just say?* the kid’s voice had risen, and he was assuming the authority over Landry. Bill knew this to be a major mistake. The teenager had now reached the base of the hill and was face-to-face with Josh. “You think you’re a tough guy, do you? That’s nice. Kid, hand over the pack and get lost.”

“Johnny, he ain’t worth it!” the girl cried out from the hill. “You can’t go around threatening kids like that!”

Ignoring her, he knelt so that he was staring directly into Landry’s unnerving eyes. Without any warning, he reached his hand out and plucked the cigarette from Josh’s lips. He threw it to the ground without stamping it out. Johnny had provoked no emotion from the boy, who continued the stare of death. Suddenly, Landry’* fist came flying through the air, directed at the teenager’s face. Bill heard the girl gasp. However, it wasn’t a well thrown punch, and Johnny had enough time to grab the fist in his open palm. He twisted Josh’s arm behind his back, grabbing his neck with his other arm. Once again the girl cried, “It ain’t worth it!”

With the boy helpless to defend himself, Johnny pushed down on his neck. He continued to hold Josh’s wrist behind his back. Landry’s face was now about an inch off the ground. The smoldering cigarette butt sat just under his nose, the smoke rising straight up into his nostrils. Tears of frustration began to drop to the ground. He struggled for a moment but halted upon realizing he was in a deadlock position.

“Let him go, man.” Bill protested, trying to pry apart the hand clamped onto his friend’s neck.

Johnny leaned his mouth close to Josh’s ear, where he whispered, “If you ever try to pull a move like that again, I’ll kill you. You hear? I’ll kill you. Now give me the damn pack and run on home, will you?”

12-Jul-2011 11:55:13

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