Walking Jack

By Thomas H. Harris

Ryan and Sarah Dulaney are young educators who have arrived at a professional crossroads. Ryan loves coaching, but he is tired of the classroom. Sarah is a dedicated reading teacher who feels that she needs a more challenging school setting. New jobs, a new home and a beautiful puppy. All seems idyllic until walks with Jack lead to unanticipated events which bring upheaval to their lives.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Thomas H. Harris
• Release date: Apr 2, 2013
• ISBN: 9781301009930

Book preview

Walking Jack

Thomas H. Harris

Published by Thomas H. Harris at Smashwords

Copyright 2013 Thomas H. Harris

Cover Design by Maryland Print and Design

P.O. Box 1010 Sykesville, Maryland 21784

Smashwords Edition, License notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be resold or given away to other people. If you did not purchase a copy of this book and would like to do so, please visit Smashwords.com. Thank you.

All Characters and events portrayed in this novel are products of the author’s imagination.

ISBN: 9781301009930(e-book)

For Jaclyn

Table of Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Walking Jack - Chapter 1

A small boy sits on his mother’s lap as dusky evening settles over the aging stadium. His eyes are wide and full of wonderment as he points to a tall, swirling funnel gust of air lifting scraps of paper and leaves high into the air as it blows along the playing field. He is the youngest among the fans of the Lincoln Technical High School team who are packed together filling the sagging bleachers on the home team side of the turf worn football field. His mother chats with her friends while others around them stare as if mesmerized at the tiny glowing screens of cell phones. The tantalizing smell of hot dogs and popcorn fills the air and young kids shout to each other as they run beneath the bleachers searching for lost pocket change. The mood of the crowd is relaxed and anticipatory as they wait for the game to begin.

Many are wearing purple garments emblazoned with artistic renderings of their team’s logo. They are called the Rail Splitters and the moniker has been shortened to Splitters on many caps and shirts. The school band parades back and forth across the playing field led by a team of prancing majorettes dressed in tall white hats and jackets with gold buttons and frilly epaulets. Chords of ‘Gonna Fly Now’ float melodiously throughout the stadium as they are blown out by the bands talented horn section.

The head football coach is new and he has quickly gripped the reins of a program mired in controversy for most of the past decade. Every year the Lincoln Tech team is extolled by local sports writers as a team with huge potential, especially among its offensive players. Despite the preseason hype the team never seems to be able to string together enough wins to advance into the state championship playoffs. Recently the team’s long beleaguered supporters have experienced a surge of hope. A losing season has been reversed with an impressive three game winning streak. The coach has quickly gained a reputation as a determined motivator and innovative game strategist.

The pending contest will require an extraordinary team effort as they are facing the Mellon High School Liquidators which are perennial state playoff contenders. Recently sports analysts have begun to hype the contest as one that could possibly throw a roadblock into the path of Mellon’s march toward another state title playoff berth. The accolades have imbued the faculty and student body with a renewed sense of pride and Dr. Davis, the schools new Principal, has focused on the fanfare in an attempt to elevate school spirit and enthusiasm.

The fans filling the visitor’s side of the stadium are more reserved and less casual in their dress. Many of the women are clad in expensive warm up suits or designer blouses with cashmere sweaters draped around their shoulders. Jewels sparkle from their bracelets and necklaces. A disproportionate number of them are blonde. Spread out at respectable distances from each other, they are seated upon colorful blankets and portable stadium seats. Laptop computer screens glow brightly as men and women continue their workplace toil prior to the beginning of the game.

The expensive cars in their parking lot gleam with chrome and fancy wheels. A tall man wearing a police style cap has been hired to patrol the lot during the game. The conversations among the Mellon fans vary greatly from those taking place on the opposite side of the field. Many complain of the shabby condition of the stadium and the fact that they have been required to travel from their comfortable homes to an area where crime is rumored to be high. Two men talking loudly vow to investigate why the state system of high school football scheduling has paired the two teams. Lincoln Tech is an unknown entity to them yet they are well aware that the school has produced numerous players which have gone on to become outstanding college players.

The football program at Mellon High School is taken very seriously by the school’s alumni and athletic boosters club. It is viewed as a projection of the success and wealth of the families whose children attend the school. Although a public school, the potential for soliciting donations to the athletic fund is unlimited. Younger generations follow their parents in attending the school and families do not defect to escape undesirables or academic corruption.

The head coach has two assistants and the team plays with the best equipment available. Athletes showing promise receive extra coaching in summer programs to hone their skills. The school has been rumored to make deals under the guise of academic opportunity scholarships to woo promising players to the school from other districts. A surprising coincidence seems to occur regularly in that the new student just happens to fit into a team position where a weakness has been perceived.

Now in only a matter of minutes, the Mellon team supporters will be required to cease their machinations and watch as the two teams meet upon the level playing field. Their influence will end at the chalky edges of the turf and destiny will be transferred to the shoulders of the young men in the flawless uniforms who are beginning to run onto the playing field. As they begin to warm up, they shout out in a loud, robotic cadence designed to intimidate those on the opposite side of the field.

A small, elevated parking lot reserved for food vendor vehicles and the cars of Lincoln Tech coaches and employees is located at one corner of the home team bleachers. The lot affords a panoramic view of the playing field and is a favorite gathering spot for the families of the school support staff to view the games. The event represents an opportunity for an inexpensive outing and many fans bring coolers of drinks, bags of food and folding lawn chairs to set up in the grass along the edge of the asphalt.

One of the parking slots facing the playing field is occupied by a white Jeep with frayed side curtains. A young woman named Ashley Starr sits in the driver’s seat and peers out at the warm up activities taking place. The left side of her face beneath her eye is bandaged. Her black Labrador retriever lies in the passenger’s seat with its head in her lap. The hair is shaved from one shoulder and along its rib cage and a white bandage has been carefully applied to the area. The dog’s left front leg is bound in a plaster cast and it watches Ashley with its large, expressive eyes.

Her tail flops back and forth as Ashley pets her. The veterinarian has urged that she be vigilant in restraining its activity as the dog has once again pulled stitches loose in a massive wound it sustained. As a nurse, she knows the importance of getting the wound to heal thoroughly. The dog is very friendly and if it gets out of the Jeep it will attempt to hobble onto the field in an effort to meet the young men in the colorful uniforms. All types of physical activities attract the dog like a magnet and as Ashley watches the boys warm up, she keeps two fingers hooked beneath the dog’s collar so that it will not attempt to jump from the Jeeps open door.

Looking out over the broad field she feels the tension of the upcoming contest beginning to build. She and the coach are lovers and he has schooled her well in the rules and strategies of the game. With her new perspective she looks forward to watching so that she can intelligently discuss the game with him afterwards. The coach enjoys reviewing the games and she loves his renderings of why certain plays were tried and how he feels about the individual efforts of the key players. She finds the running, throwing and catching aspects exciting and knows that the matchup about to begin will be very important for both teams. Divisional playoff berths will be looming in the near future and a talented upstart team which has recently gotten on a winning tack is challenging a perpetual state title contender.

As she strokes the dog’s head, the remaining lamps of the tall floodlights which have not been damaged by rocks begin to flicker on. The curtain of dusky darkness cloaking the stadium is pushed away and the setting becomes brightly magical. Young men standing tall in shiny helmets and cleats begin to arrange themselves on the playing field as if living pieces upon a huge chess board. The jerseys of the giants are colorful and define the opposing teams. Purple clad players take one end of the field and begin to line up to face the white shirted visitors. Each player is stamped with a huge number and being so identified carries prestige and role significance.

The chatter in the bleachers subsides as an announcer tests his microphone and sends his greeting out over the loudspeakers. Alone in a weather beaten cubicle built above the bleachers he hunches over scraps of paper on a little table and begins to rattle off the names of the coaches and officials who will be involved in the contest. The voice is familiar to many in the crowd as belonging to Walter Webster who has been announcing games and teaching English at Lincoln since the school was built.

As the band leaves the field, Webster takes a flask from his pocket and allows a generous stream of Makers Mark whiskey to flow down his throat. He exhales mightily and thinks back to the events of the past school day. Following second period an embarrassing event took place in the teacher’s lounge when his emotions boiled over and he experienced a near meltdown. As the warming fluid works its way down into his vast belly, he wonders how much longer he will be able to stare into the dull eyes of the disinterested hulks of flesh seated before him each day and continue to plead, to cajole, and demand that they master and correctly use the language of Shakespeare and Austin. During the incident his face turned crimson and his voice became loud as he railed at his fellow teachers that he might as well be lecturing on shoes and ships and sealing wax. The episode was frightening to several of the new teachers who saw it as possibly prophetic for their own careers.

The silver microphone is before him and the game will soon begin. The dreary world of tattered textbooks and vile mouthed students is behind him for the week. In only minutes he will command the attention of all seated in the stadium. His bold, baritone voice will float out through the dusty air to the captive audience which appreciates his embellishment of the games important plays. For yet another night he shall become the king of the stadium as once again it supersedes the classroom as his coveted forum for pleasing himself with the sound of his own voice.

As he prepares to introduce the players and their positions he thinks back to the time when he was the first coach of the varsity football program. The stadium was still under construction and the student body was vibrant and diverse. It was an exciting time and he coached the team which was blended with students previously attending other high schools through a winning season and into the first round of the state championship. The year ended for them with a loss but he was hailed as a coach with a promising future.

In subsequent years the neighborhoods surrounding the school began to change dramatically and a new breed of students flooded into the school’s classrooms. For many of them the school was a refuge from deteriorating family units and poverty. The faculty was ill prepared for the job of parenting the teens as well as educating them. Many dropped out to face marginal futures while others hung on in hopes that the school might facilitate a ticket away from the deprivation of their surroundings. Some of them possessed extraordinary athletic skills and pursued their chosen sports with devotion, hoping, but not truly believing, that excelling in sports might open doors of opportunity for them in the future.

The new players were tough and intolerant of authority and the flabby, intellectual coach was unable to gain their respect. Several of the more talented players usurped his power and took control of the team. Brawling and flagrant violations during games became the norm. Sanctions were imposed against the Lincoln football program in neighboring school districts and their reputation became commensurate with the skidding academic culture being allowed to foster within the school.

The school board reacted surprisingly quickly by demanding that Webster relinquish the position of head coach. In matters regarding school athletics they were able to make quick decisions while turning a blind eye to the academic quagmire developing within the walls of Lincoln Tech High School. Webster resigned willingly and the football program was suspended for a year because no experienced coach could be attracted to take it over for the yearly stipend of twenty five hundred dollars.

In a desperate effort to revive the program, the school board threw several unqualified people into the breach and the team spiraled into a perennial coma of disarray and mediocrity. When Webster heard that another warm body had been found to take the position he never dreamed that the winds of change would blow so forcefully through the locker room of the varsity football program. The new man was now coming off of an impressive three game winning streak and facing a football powerhouse which seemed to be taking him very seriously. He had spotted a coach he knew from Mellon scouting the Lincoln players at a recent game.

Much to his credit, the replacement coach quickly became focused upon the team’s future and not its history. By participating in the conditioning activities with the team he quickly set examples of athletic prowess which he expected his players to match. The academic records of several troublemakers were examined closely and used to remove them from the team. Several fleet footed members of the track team were invited to try out for the football team. The new, over arching plan became getting the players to work together as a coordinated unit. The concept of winning games was rarely mentioned. Some believed that the new mindset was behind the recent winning streak while others remained skeptical. Stadium seats were once again filling up and the school book store was consistently sold out of clothing decorated with the team logo. These were positive aspects of renewed interest in the team which were indisputable.

As the voice from the cubicle booms throughout the stadium, Ashley lifts the dog from the Jeep as they emerge for a walk. Soon the game will begin and she does not want to miss any important plays. The perimeter of the parking lot is now lined with families seated in folding lawn chairs and many stare curiously at the bandaged woman with the limping dog.

A woman wearing a Splitters baseball cap perched comically upon a mass of frizzy, black and grey hair cannot restrain her inquisitiveness and she asks loudly in a brassy voice, Lawd, girlfriend, What you done done to yoself? Would yo like a cold soda?

Oh, thank you very much, Ma’am. We’ve got some drinks in the car. My dog and I were in an accident a while back but we’re doing okay. She’ll get the cast off in several weeks and I have had the last of my surgeries. She thinks that she’s all healed now and she wants to run onto the playing field and meet the players.

Ashley feels badly about misleading the old woman. The term accident suggests something more routinely encountered in the grand scheme of things such as two cars smashing together or tripping over a dog and falling down a flight of stairs. She distorts her response because she knows that the truth is beyond the scale of comprehension. The horrible incident in which they received their injuries went off the Richter scale for terror inflicted and if retold would only result in gaping mouths and wide eyes brimming with disbelief. She knows that occasionally cloaking the truth in obscurity works well to curb unwanted curiosity into private affairs and to maintain the appearance of normalcy amid unspeakable experiences.

Well, she sho is a fine lookin’ pooch. Kin I gives her a piece of baloney? the woman asks as she pats the dog on its head. It begins to pant eagerly and wag its tail.

I’m sure she would love it. Do you come to all of the games?

Well, I tries. My grandbaby is startin’ again tonight. He be on the line at right tackle. New coach say he believe the boy got talent and if he develop he might go on to college. Now wouldn’t that jest be somethin’?

Why that would be a real accomplishment, wouldn’t it? Ashley responds before allowing her dog to hobble off into the surrounding grass and squat.

A powerfully built, young man dressed in shorts, expensive sneakers and a sweatshirt with the sleeves ripped off is seated at the end of the row. He stares at the woman from his seat in the shadows as he sends up a plume of cigarette smoke into the cool October air. She is wearing tightly fitting shorts, running shoes and a new purple sweatshirt with Splitters embossed on the front. Her black, lustrous hair is thick and falls over her shoulders and down her back. The bandage adds an air of mystery to her attractiveness and the sweatshirt falls loosely over her breasts outlining their firmness. He has heard that she is the coach’s woman and he wonders how much longer he will be seeing her around. Coaches seem to come and go at Lincoln Tech almost as frequently as Principals.

As the dog limps past him on its way back it pauses and begins to growl at him in a low, mean tone. He tenses and picks up a full soda can to hurl at the dog if it threatens him. Ashley tightens up on the leash and begins to apologize, I’m sorry, sir! You are in the dark and she can’t see you very well. The dog continues to make menacing sounds in its throat as she forcefully pulls it away. The man does not reply and continues to suck on his cigarette causing it to glow brightly in the darkness.

The perky Lincoln cheerleaders run onto the field. They are dressed in purple and white box pleated skirts and long sleeved, midriff tops. They shake colorful pompoms as they shout out loudly,

Go Splitters, go! Let’s put on a show! Rah! Rah! Rah! We’ll march right down and score! Let’s show those boys the door!Hey! Hey! Hey!

The crowd cheers loudly and then becomes silent as the band begins to play the National Anthem. The Lincoln coach removes his cap and looks across the field toward the white Jeep. He feels his heart swelling with affection as he sees the woman standing beside the vehicle with her dog and waving to him. The events of the past year have been tumultuous and challenging but tonight he feels confident and secure and he eagerly looks forward to the time he will spend with her after the game.

The captains of the opposing teams meet in the center of the field for the coin toss. Lincoln Tech wins and elects to receive. The noise from the crowd reaches a crescendo as the Mellon kicker gets the bridge of his foot under the football and lifts it spinning end over end into a high trajectory shimmering in the brightness of the stadium lights.

The dog watches from her spot in the cool grass in front of the Jeep. She tracks the spinning object with her keen eyes as gravity begins to countermand its flight. As the dog tenses to surge forward she feels the leash tighten in her master’s hand. Tracking and retrieving is the sport which she loves. Fetch is the trigger word which sets her into motion as her master throws an object into the air. She misses the visits to the park where all dogs are allowed to run loose and compete for objects bearing the scent of their owners. Scrapping with the other dogs brings her intense satisfaction and she is able to focus aggressively and consistently be victorious.

She hears Ashley speaking to her and perks up her ears. Would you like to chase that pigskin, girl? You could pick it up by the strings and sprint across the goal line. No one would be able to catch you. Ashley always speaks softly and the dog finds it very soothing. She feels fortunate to have such a person in her life. She will continue to defend her to the death if necessary even though her efforts nearly ended badly for her the evening her owner was injured. Life for her has become so much more fulfilling and wonderful since she chewed her way through a garage door panel and escaped from the owner who made her life miserable with constant beatings.

The crowd is on its feet and yelling loudly. Horns blare from the band section in the bleachers as the Mellon defensive players advance up the field. The Lincoln blockers brace to stem the advancing tide as a short, squat receiver tenses to catch the descending football. He does not signal for a fair catch. It is the coach’s belief that big gains can be made on kickoff returns because the situation on the field is so fluid. He has assigned his fastest sprinter to the task of returning the football. The youth feels fearful of being tackled as he stares up into the lights and attempts to chart the orbit of the airborne object descending toward him.

The ball slams into his chest and ricochets away before he can close his fingers around it. A Mellon player poised to knock him off his feet alters his course and lunges for the loose ball. It squirts away from under him and begins to wobble end over end across the field running away like some ludicrous, small living thing without a head. Players from both teams dive after the ball and try to pin it down but the ball seems so charged with kinetic energy that it will not be restrained. The crowd jumps up and down and roars as the comical chase after the elusive football moves across the field.

Adam Calvino, a Lincoln lineman, becomes caught up in the wild melee when the ball suddenly hits him in the shin. He sees attackers converging upon him from all sides and he instinctively knows that it would be prudent to present a smaller target. As he falls to the ground he inadvertently pins down the football. Defenders pile up on top of him but the ball remains pinched between his chest and forearm. For a brief moment he becomes a hero as the crowd applauds thunderously for him.

The Lincoln team has flirted with disaster on its twenty yard line and now the crowd wants productive offense. It begins a frenzied roar chiding them to get the ball moving up the field into Mellon territory. The coach marches along the sidelines and shouts out directives to his players. The Lincoln Quarterback makes sure that his linemen are in position as he takes his place behind the center. The new coach has made it clear to him that he is accountable for piloting the team’s efforts. He has been required to radically alter his approach to the game and his performance is now evaluated after each game. The expectation is that he will follow a game plan and not deviate from it. The present coach is the first of the three he has played under to bench him for not following directions. At first the reproach angered him but now he is beginning to feel as if he has becoming an important part of a well functioning machine instead of the driver of a runaway train.

A’Darrion Biggs reads the Mellon defense well. He sees that there is an extra player on the line and senses that they are planning to rush him. He is prepared and issues an audible to let the others know he is planning a screen pass. The center places the ball into his hands and he begins to backpedal as a wall of Mellon players begin to break through the line with their arms upraised. The tight end streaks toward the center of the field, well in front of the secondary defenders and Biggs throws the ball over the defenders closing in upon him. The ball is caught and the receiver accelerates his pace cutting away from his pursuers. He gains twenty yards before he is brought down and the crowd goes wild.

The young woman in the parking lot has been watching from the hood of the Jeep. She stands up on the front bumper and cheers excitedly. The dog turns its head and notices a shadowy figure standing at the rear of the car. She begins to bark ferociously. The woman steps down from the bumper and attempts to calm the dog. She recognizes the man as the same one who upset the dog earlier. He is muscular with massive, darkly inked arms and his eyes seem to glow in the darkness as he stares at her and asks sinisterly, Yo wanna get amped? I got some bazooka.

The man’s demeanor is intimidating but the woman’s anger trumps her concern as she responds patronizingly to him, Look, this is like a high school stadium. It’s no place to get high! Please leave and don’t bother me or my dog anymore!

In an attempt to calm the dog and put some distance between herself and the undesirable denizen of the night, she drags it off into the grass. It resists and she feels badly about handling it roughly. The man grins as he watches them go. He wonders how any attractive woman could not be interested in him and he decides to hang around and attempt to speak with her again.

Following the exciting pass from Biggs to the tight end, the Lincoln offense stalls. The Mellon defense anticipates well and seems to be able to read the Lincoln plays before they are executed. Several running attempts are halted at the line of scrimmage and faced with fourth down, the Lincoln punter exhibits a powerful leg as he sends the ball soaring toward the opposing end zone. A Mellon receiver catches the ball perfectly and begins to advance behind a wall of blockers. The Lincoln coach watches helplessly as his defenders are knocked away from his path. A speedy defensive back races around the advancing blockers and tackles the ball carrier from behind. As the boys in white form their line, he issues a sign of relief and wonders if his team is up to the task ahead.

He knows that the Mellon Quarterback is a strong passer and he feels certain that the present lineup is a disguise for a pass play. To make sure that his players are aware he shouts out a warning but it is muffled by the crowd as they yell with the cheerleaders. The ball is snapped and the Quarterback drops back to pass. Two receivers are streaking downfield past the secondary. He waits for his receivers to get into position and then cocks his arm back to throw. As the coach grimaces in despair, he sees that with surprising speed, Taylon Justice is breaking through the line. He slams into the Mellon quarterback before he is able to release the ball and there is a mad scramble for the loose football. The offensive team recovers the ball and the coach rubs his eyes with disbelief as the potentially huge play is shattered by his new left tackle.

Ashley has calmed her dog down but she is annoyed that the man harassing her has not moved from the vicinity of her Jeep. The crowd is cheering wildly and she has missed a big play. Several policemen are standing near the announcer’s box but she does not want to involve them. It could develop into a nasty incident which might disrupt the entire evening. She faces a dilemma in that she does not want to return to her vehicle with the man loitering near it. The dog has taken a strong dislike to him and might tear her stitches loose if she overreacts upon seeing him again. An idea occurs to her and she directs the dog toward the row of spectators seated in the front. As they move closer she sees that the woman they befriended earlier is nodding in her chair.

Ashley tightens up on the leash so that the dog sits while she develops a plan. The crowd is quiet now that the first quarter has ended and the two teams are changing ends. She urges the dog ahead and then issues it a sharp directive for it to sit in front of the sleeping woman’s chair. The loud command awakens the woman and after a moment of shaking off the tenants of sleep she says, Oh hello Missy, Would you happen to know the score. I musta dozed off. I ain got no mo treats for you, pretty one. She adjusts her glasses and extends her empty hand to the dog. It sniffs her hand and wags its tail vigorously.

There’s no score yet but I hope you saw that big play your grandson made.

Lawd no! I musta missed it. I’ll get his sister to fill me in. I was feelin’ so tired, Mrs. Justice replied disappointedly.

Ma’am, I would like to ask you a question. Do you know that man standing over by that white Jeep?

Mrs. Justice sits up in her chair and squints through the darkness as she says, Why that look like DeMonte. He was a good player for Lincoln in his day, a good player. But I doan know what he up to nowadays. Is he troubling you, Miss?

"Well,