Paternal Penance

Vernell has been looking forward to this hour since beginning of his shift. With the newborn at home, he barely gets any sleep. Besides, he travelled last week to meet Papa. The old man could not take shower for three days as water supply to his home was broken. He is skeptical of calling for professional help after last burglary at his place. He called Vernell to fix his problems. Only Vernell keeps in touch with him. None of his sisters ever checks on Papa or Vernell. They have never forgiven Papa for leaving them. They have never forgiven Vernell for his recklessness.

Yet, he must meet his friend at the bar at Aloha and Nineteenth by next hour. He needs four more shifts at the construction job this week, probably during the nights. That way he could keep working at this store and watch the baby. Also, he can compensate for the lost hours during last weekend while visiting Papa. Besides, the bus tickets to Papa’s has cost him a lot. He is now in debt of neighbor, Asia. Because he could not tell Keira, his girlfriend, mother of his newborn, that he had no money when Keira asked him to do the grocery. Keira is out of work now, for weeks. She lost her social security checks after her ex took charge of their girls, for Keira overdosed last year.

Vernell hear that Samantha is called to the register from her floor job. They seldom assign Vernell to registers. He is either shelved in stocks or put on salesfloor. Before this line of thought go further, his name is called for opening his register. Blood rushed to his head. It means an extension of half an hour to one hour to this shift. Also, it means, he is probably going to lose his more paying opportunity at his construction job. Again, this is what he already has. Construction shift may or may not happen for he did not call them to inform about his absence in his weekend shifts. Nor he picked up their phone.

His thoughts have made him slow at the register. Besides, he is unable to take return. Because he cannot read everything on the computer screen. They could have put pictures of items instead of their names and brand names in letters. This, Vernell thinks, is quite discriminatory. Each return he needs to send to other registers. Explaining customers takes a lot of time.

He hears a scream. Probably Samantha it is. These college girls! Looking far across the long lines of customers, Vernell finds a boy has set fire on Samantha’s hair. He could not believe the scene. Next he hears a smashing of glass box. His eyes follow the sound to jewelry box. It is now all wide open and boys and girls are rushing to grab every piece they can. Watches, sunglasses of hundreds of dollars. Five hundred-dollar worth necklaces of turquoise and corals. Someone has torn a pearl bracelet. Pearls are bouncing everywhere.

Merilyn, the store security for the shift, appears before Vernell. She asks, “Let’s go inside Man. We’ve to send Samantha to hospital through the backdoor. Angelina is calling everyone at the staff zone. Come on man.”

Bewildered Vernell follows Merilyn. Angelina, the shift manager, has taken everyone to Store Manager’s cabin. There everyone is now watching the vandals rampaging the sales floor. Throwing merchandises form the shelves, shaking the shelves of fragile items, slamming the shelves to the ground by kicks, breaking store door and windowpanes with sticks, tweaking the cash registers and looting every penny thereof.

Gina murmurs, “Angelina, how far are the police?”

Vernell understands that she is new to the town. Angelina scoffs and explains, “In this city, we can’t call Police at the time of public outrage. If we call we’ve to pay for boasting privileges. Hence, the corporate has advised us not to call the police.”

Gina cannot hide her desperation, “I know that the city does not have a police department. But the county must have its sheriff. Or the state troopers can rescue us. Aren’t they?”

Denise, the customer service lead for the shift, explains, “That will be held offensive by the city. They can charge a fine that can bankrupt the company. Hence, we cannot call police.”

Gina sits on floor by the corner and starts a prayer. Rachel and Laura bring Samantha back from ladies’ room with a towel wrapped on her head. It is a towel, Vernell recognizes, from yesterday’s lot, fresh and new. Water is still seeping along Samantha’s cheek. Her shirt is wet. A few inches on her back has been burnt. She is seething in pain. Her entire face is wrinkled.

The backdoor alarm starts ringing. The camera above it seems off. Horrified everyone surmises, “It has been broken by the vandals.”

No visuals are, hence, available.

Even then, hoping for the ambulance Angelina opens the door. A few looters enter, slinging guns. They shot open every locked door in the staff zone. They take away cash in chest, computers - the machines and the screens.

Then one of them caught hold of Gina shouting, “Bitch, you must come with us.”

Gina screamed. On of the looters said in appeasing tone, “Leave her bro.. she’s one of us.”

The one who has been holding Gina shrieked, “She can’t be. Her mother stole my father from us. She must pay.”

Now the gang dragged Gina outside by stubble of her hair. Horrified Vernell tried to look forward. They have taken Gina to the dumpster, torn her cloths. They start beating her by a stick and pushing another stick into her.

Vernell rushes to them. He does not know if he would have rushed to save Samantha this way. He shouts, “Leave her alone. You can’t punish her for what her father did.”

The boy who put his hand on Gina first shouts back, “Her father? I don’t know her father. But I know her mother. She took away my father.”

Vernell tries to appease, panting, “Think this way. You father left you. Her father left her. Her mother took your father in. It’s her father’s fault. Not her mother’s fault.”

The gang now surrounds Vernell. The leader asks, “What do you say? It’s our fathers’ fault?”

Vernell recognizes him. This twenty-year-old is carbon copy of Vernell himself at his twenty. This boy is his first born. Including, the newborn, he has fathered more than two dozen, since he was seventeen. If he has not forgotten any, then the correct number can be twenty-five, sometimes having two children in a year, before he turned twenty-five. He could never remain faithful to his women. If he fails to pay back Asia’s debt, he may try to charm her. That is probably how he is going to cheat on Keira, unlike younger days when babies were born out of fun, mostly under influence of chemicals or out of intense emotional moments. With his fertile nature, he is probably having another baby next year, with Asia.

Summarizing past two decades of his life, in wrathful countenance of his son Vernell confesses, “It’s my fault.”

His son yells, “Are you out of your mind, man? Come on, give us a hand. Enjoy yourself.”

Vernell pitches up, but in a braking voice, “No. Nope. I’ve never set an example of a man before you. Nor did my father to me. He, too, left when family came in his way of enjoying life. But tonight, I won’t be part of your folly.”

His son banters, “Amen, Padre.”

Then pointing to the store, he continues, “If they would have discriminated you, you’re angry on them or anyone else, just call me. I’ll teach…”

Vernell interrupts, “Don’t shower your anger on wrong people and places for you’re angry at your absentee father.”

His son rushes to him and shouts, “Don’t talk about my father. You don’ know him?”

Vernell replies with all the calmness he can muster, “Yes. I do. I’m your father. Your absentee father.”

His son calls off assault on Gina. Vernell takes the puddle of blood, flesh and cloth called Gina in his arms and rushes to nearest hospital emergency room. He does not mind having Gina to be his twenty-sixth child. Tonight he is not leaving.