Dark Journey

By Bruce Hammer and Kathy Hammer

A Dark Journey is a poignant autobiography account of a man and woman who come from different lifestyles, mind-sets, and paths. The story details the true account of Bruce’s struggle with addiction and the painful consequences he suffered and Kathy's unconditional love that gave her the strength to persevere and not give up. Bruce’s journey started in Detroit, Michigan, in 1954, where he encountered a painful life of criminal activity that led the way to the harsh reality of what it was like living inside the incarceration system. He fought battles to stay alive.

The story goes on to tell how Bruce and Kathy met at a medical clinic and the love Bruce had for Kathy that persuaded him to pursue her despite all odds. Kathy came from a small town and had always waited on her soul mate to find her. She never would have believed it would have been a man so different from her. Kathy never knew of Bruce’s addiction because he withheld it from her. She believed everything Bruce told her about his past. She took it as face value because she loved him. Bruce and Kathy got married, and the battle of crack cocaine took a toll on their marriage and put Kathy into situations that the average person would not have been able to overcome. However, Kathy believed that Almighty God would protect her from Bruce’s ongoing substance abuse encounters. Bruce faced many battles at home and did unspeakable things in his home and abroad to pursue the drugs he craved.

Many people wonder what is true love and what does it really mean to love someone unconditionally the way God loves them. A Dark Journey gives a detail account of true love. It is a story that even when it is read, it will never be forgotten. Almighty God promised Bruce and Kathy that they would come into the light out of their own dark journey, and the prophecy had become a reality.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Feb 5, 2019
• ISBN: 9781984577191

Book preview

CHAPTER 1

The Beginning

May 1954 – Chicago, Illinois

N INE-YEAR-OLD BRUCE CAME running into the house, out of breath and looking all wide-eyed. His father Keith, who was standing in the living room of the one bedroom cold water project apartment that was shared by five people, turned around when he heard the front door opened and slammed shut.

Boy what the hell you slamming that door like that for? Bruce looked at his father; not wanting to tell that the bully project boy and his brother had chased him home from school again. But his dad had looked out of the window and saw the two bigger boys outside, who were walking away up the street. Are you running from them little niggers outside? I said, yes dad, they are always chasing me, wanting to jump on me.

My dad put his hand on the back of my neck and said, come here, boy. We walked outside the house. My dad yelled and told the two boys to come here.

Both boys walked back to listen to what my dad had to say. My daddy said, "How come you all chasing Bruce? The boy said that I had called him out of his name. That is a lie! I yelled out. My daddy said, so it takes two of you to chase my son? The oldest brother said he wanted to get me for calling him names.

My dad asked me if I wanted to fight him, and I said no. Well, Bruce, you are going to fight, because you cannot let anybody make you run like you are some kind of sissy boy. And you better whip him too, or you know what is good for you. I looked at the big boy who was three years older than me and about forty pounds bigger. But no matter what, I knew I had to this to do.

The boy walked up on me and grabbed me in a headlock. We started to wrestle around. My dad broke us up and whispered to me to ball up my fist, and him in the eye when he walked up on me again. And the boy did walk up on me again confident that he had nothing to fear from me since I was smaller than he was. When he reached for my head, I hit him is his left eye as hard as I could. He screamed, bowled over holding both hands to his eye.

Hit him again my dad yelled out, hit him, Bruce! So I hit him in the face again. He fell to the ground holding his face. His brother took off running. My daddy said; hit him in the side, and back, hard as you can. So I did, I beat on him until I grew tired of it. Finally, my daddy said, That is enough. The boy got up and ran down the street, still holding his face. My daddy said, you see, the element of surprise was his doing. Don’t you ever run from a boy again, or I will whip the skin off your ass! Do you hear me? I said, yes sir. And from that day on, I have never in my life, ran again from anybody.

CHAPTER 2

I JOINED THE BOXING club at the recreation center.

I remember walking into the center; and stood in the doorway, as I watched some of the potential fighter’s shadow box, and hit the heavy bag.

There were big wall posters of Sam Elliott, all around the gym. All of us youngsters wanted to be the next Sam Elliott Boomer.

Mr. Knight finally saw me standing in the doorway. He waved for me to come over. So I made my way through the sweaty bodies and stinky stale sweat to where he stood. Well Bruce, are you ready to fight yet? Or are you just looking? I’m ready Mr. Knight; he turned and told the corner man to dress me out. When I came out of the dressing room, Mr. Knight wrapped my hands and put a pair of red 16-ounce gloves on my hands. Then he called my opponent, who was better known as baby dog.

He told corner man, to start me out for a couple of rounds. So we climbed into the ring to start. My opponent was real aggressive, but so was I. We threw a few pounds to get the feel of each other. When we came out for the second round, he started to work my body with punches, which were tactics to wear me down. So when he came in again with the body shots, I threw a straight right to blind his sight, and followed with a short inside left a hook to his jaw, which knocked him down.

Mr. Knight jumped into the ring to help him up; he was still wobbling on his legs. The sparring was over. Mr. Knight looked at me with a new look of respect. He said, Who taught you to run that combo like that? I said my dad. He said okay, I got a card spot for you in a month or so. You will train everybody under my directions. I think you may have some real potential son; nobody has ever put the baby dog down like that! You either got really lucky, or that was some really slick stuff you did.

From that day on, I was a constant at the gym. I was relentless & fearless! I was young and cocky. But hard! Medicine ball, jump rope, heavy bag, speed bag, trade & sprint- condition was the name of the game! I was hungry for my next bout. I was relentless & fearless! I was young and cocky. But in spite of all that I was good with my hands.

I went on from there to fight 112 amateur bouts and winning 108 of them, 2 ties, and 2 lost by split decisions. I was the best amateur boxer on Mr. Knight’s team of fighters. When I went semi-pro at the age of 16, I had pizzazz, flair, style, and charm. I wanted to go full pro. But fate would do a serious misdeed.

My family doctor told my mom that I needed glasses. And that if I suffered too many head blows I could lose my eyesight for good. Needless to say, my career ended before it ever got started.

CHAPTER 3

M Y DAYS AFTER not going to the gym became boring. So I spent a lot of my idle time, roaming around through the bricks (That was hood talk for the The projects. I was walking down the street when I saw thug, and two of his cool gang thugs coming towards me. Hey Bruce, I said, What is up? He was smiling that insolent smile which was always on his face. He said you better get over to the playgrounds because I think I just saw big city thugs and their gang members beating up on your brother.

I started to run thru the shortcuts so I could get to the center faster. When I came out on the back side of the road, I was right across the street from the playgrounds. I could see a bunch of people looking at something going on. I pushed my way through the crowd. When I broke through the people in front of me, I could see my brother, who was crying and doing his best to fight the boys. They had a big advantage on him because he was smaller and he was outnumbered.

Just as I jumped over the fence, the thug hit my brother in the back of his head and spun him around, but I was there then. He and I were the same sizes; husky, and solid. But he was a coward! Always double teaming somebody. I got to him first, and I punched him in his eye! He screamed and tried to run, but I tripped him and kicked him in the head. He rolled over into a fetal bowled position. I then rushed pass him to his brother. My brother had backed up almost into the crowd. The gangster and I came