Welcome to Willieville

By Mickey Hadick

Welcome to Willieville is a novelette set in 1998 about a high school graduate, Willie, whose friend is murdered while they party on a warm Friday night, out behind the 7-Eleven.

He's in a suburb north of Detroit where the primary mission of the police is to keep things just the way they are.

Willie, nearly ki

• Language: English
• Publisher: Parkside Books
• Release date: Nov 15, 2021
• ISBN: 9781956533095

Mickey Hadick

Mickey is a Michigan-based writer who studied computer engineering in college, and has worked for over 35 years in technology. Currently, he's a webmaster for an insurance company. Recently, he formed a publishing company to produce his own books.Working full-time forced him to become a student of productivity and efficiency to find-or make-time for his writing. But he also went on a journey of personal development, shedding as many bad habits, biases and limiting beliefs as possible. His creative practice is a combination of meditation, journaling, planning, and storytelling that brings him joy even when the books aren't selling.For fun, he plays with his dogs, draws, plays ukulele, and tells stories at the Moth whenever possible.He is also developing a set of courses on creativity, writing and publishing to share what he has learned along the way. His background in technology has made him an expert in several computer-based tools for writing, planning and publishing, but he loves to put pen to paper every day and can show you why it's important and effective to write by hand.

Book preview

CHAPTER ONE

Willie Schocker lingered outside the 7-Eleven, watching the traffic zip past on Nine Mile, the August heat gone, the red glow of the streetlights reflecting off the evening mist. Willie held Bubba’s phone to his ear, trying to reach Arnold.

He’s not in his room, Arnold’s mother said on the phone.

Did you check the bathroom?

What? She didn’t sound amused. He’s not home from work yet.

Can you tell him to meet—

She hung up.

Willie stared at the phone for a second, questioning if she had hung up on him, or if he’d imagined it thanks to being a little high. Or maybe more than a little high.

A car pulled into the parking lot and Willie stared as the driver got out.

What are you looking at? the man said.

Willie laughed and turned away.

Bubba stepped out of the store with a small grocery bag in one hand and a Slurpee in the other. Did you call him?

Willie handed the Nokia cell phone back to Bubba. He’s not home. Bubba’s family wasn’t rich, by any means, but whatever Bubba wanted, Bubba got. He had wanted a cell phone.

Bubba took a long draw from the Slurpee. He scrunched up his face and shook his head. I told him we’d be here.

Maybe he’ll find us on his way home, Willie said.

With a last, hopeful glance at the cars approaching on Nine Mile, Willie stepped off the cement and started across the parking lot toward the pit where Davy waited down by the culvert.

# # # #

It was after ten and already dark, the summer slipping away before it ever started. The three of them, Willie, Bubba and Arnold, had graduated high school just three months ago with plans to party and hang together before Willie left for college.

Arnold spent the summer working, distracted with worry about paying for college. He missed all their planned hangouts in the park. The July 4th camping trip was a lock, but Arnold backed out because they offered him extra shifts at All Coney Dogs Go To Heaven. Davy joined them on short notice, proving a valuable addition thanks to his supply of weed.

Davy, held back in fourth grade, remained part of their crew despite the difference in grade level. But when he started wrestling in junior high, all his time was spent with wrestlers and he was lost to them, as Arnold was lost now. The funny thing was Davy returned to their crew like he’d never been gone.

Bubba, who didn’t like golfing with Arnold, didn’t try hard to bring him back to the crew; still, Willie called each time, asking Arnold to join them for golf, hoping it would happen. Not that they didn’t have fun without him.

The combination of Davy’s weed connection and Willie’s fake ID made it a pretty cool summer. In the blink of an eye, July was gone.

At the start of August, Willie lamented Arnold’s absence. Davy has the hottest girlfriend North of Eight Mile, Bubba said. He still makes time for us.

He’s been our friend since third grade, Willie had said.

Then he should be here with us, Bubba said. He can cook hot dogs any time.

# # # #

Hey! Davy shouted from down in the pit. There was a cry of pain, a struggle and a splash as something big hit the water.

Willie was into the pit first, down into the shadows, scrambling down the side, grabbing at the weeds amongst the rocks and cinder blocks.

Down by the creek, the rush of water flowing into the culvert roared. Combined