The Anniversary

Jimmy-Joe clenched his stomach and tried to catch his breath. Shoulders hunched and head hanging low, he skulked through the empty halls of his new school, searching for his room.

“Boy!” called out the janitor. “Whatchyou doin' shufflin' in here late like this?”

Jimmy-Joe kept his head down and dawdled down the corridor.

“I said, Boy! Turn around when I'm talkin' to you.”

Jimmy-Joe turned around slowly without meeting Mr. Wilson's gaze and wiped his snot on his sleeve.

“Look at you... you done got yourself in a fight... and on your first day of school. What's the matter with you, Boy?”

“Nuthin'.” Jimmy-Joe smoothed down his hair and pressed on the rip in his jeans.

“Come on over here, and let's get you cleaned up 'fore Miss Elly whoops your behind.” Mr. Wilson led Jimmy-Joe into the boy’s room, got some paper towels, wet them, and washed the mud off Jimmy-Joe's face. “What's your name son, and where you from?”

“Jimmy-Joe Ryder. I'm from Alabama.”

“Well, you done come a long way. I don't expect you know anybody here do ya?” Jimmy-Joe shook his head. “Well, you come with me. I'll get you settled in, but then you's on your own, okay?”

Jimmy-Joe nodded.

***

Mr. Wilson rapped his knuckle on the glass of the classroom door before opening it. “Miss Elly... this here is Jimmy-Joe Ryder. He's from Alabama. He done tripped and fell on the steps on his way in this morning. But he's all cleaned up and ready for some learnin' now. I don't expect this'll be happenin' again anytime soon.” Mr. Wilson stared down the bad boys in the room.

“Thank you, Mr. Wilson. Jimmy-Joe, you take this seat right up front by the door. We’ll make an exception today, but the rules are that we don’t tolerate tardiness in this class. We require our students to be punctual, respectful, and clean. Do you understand that?”

“Yes, ma’am.” Jimmy-Joe slid into his seat and lurched as a boy behind Jimmy-Joe shot a paper airplane at the back of his head.

“Ha, ha, Jimmy-Joe… your mama is a hoe!” rhymed the boy amid a class full of laughter.

“She is not!” Jimmy-Joe jumped up with his fists clenched in boxing position. “You just shut up or I’ll knock your block off!”

“Class! Settle down!” warned Miss Elly. “Mister Ryder! If this is any indication of the conduct that we can expect from you in the future, then you’d better think twice. I’ll have your backside down to the principal’s office so fast it’ll make your head spin. And Tommy… you know better than to act like that. Both of you will stay after school and write a hundred lines on the board.”

“Yes, ma’am,” said both of the boys in unison.

***

Jimmy-Joe rolled the peas around his plate with his fork. “Mama, how did Daddy die?”

“He was in a car accident. A drunk driver hit him and before he knew what was happening, he ran into a tree. Next month it’s going to be our one-year anniversary since he’s been gone. On that day you and I will go to your Daddy’s grave and pay our respects.”

“I don’t want to go.”

“Anniversaries are important Jimmy-Joe. It’s a time to remember the good things about the people we love. You’ll see.”

***

“Get him! Punch him in the head! Kick him in the butt!” shouted the crowd of boys encircling Tommy and Jimmy-Joe. Tommy grabbed Jimmy-Joe by the hair and slammed his head into the gravel and rubbed his face in the dirt.

“Hey there… break it up, break it up,” urged Mr. Wilson as he cut through the pack. He caught Tommy by the scruff of his neck and pulled him off Jimmy-Joe. “You two might better smarten up right shortly or you’s gonna be in big trouble with the principal.”

“Who cares?” Tommy mumbled as he sauntered off, brushing the dust from his pants.

 “Jimmy-Joe, I had high hopes for you, Boy. I hafta say you ‘bin disappointin’ me. How’s about you come ‘round my back room and bring your lunch with you at noon? I gots somethin’ for you to do.”

“Yes, sir,” muttered Jimmy-Joe.

“My name’s Jasper,” said the shy onlooker from the crowd, as he held out his hand toward Jimmy-Joe. Jimmy-Joe grabbed it and Jasper helped pull him up.

“Thanks. I’m Jimmy-Joe.”

“Yeah, I know. But I’m gonna call you J.J.” Jasper and J.J. smiled at each other and headed into the class.

***

“Mr. Wilson, I brought my friend Jasper with me if it’s okay with you.”

“Sho’ ‘nough. You boys go on over t’that cupboard over yonder, and pick out a piece of wood for yourselves.”

Jimmy-Joe and Jasper shrugged at each other but followed Mr. Wilson’s instructions. Jimmy-Joe picked out a thick piece… about ten inches long, seven inches wide, and two inches deep. He put it up to his nose and sniffed hard. It smelled like wet forests and sawdust all mixed into one. He liked that smell. It reminded him of when his Daddy used to take him to the sawmill when he was a little boy. “What are we going to make with the wood, Mr. Wilson?”

“Whatever you want. You go on over to that toolbox there, and get a chisel and a hammer.”

“What’s a chisel?” asked Jasper.

“It’s the one with the yellow handle and the sharp, flat metal tip.”

“What do we do with it?” asked Jimmy-Joe.

“You just put that chisel to the wood and hammer the handle. The wood’ll chip away and eventually, it’ll turn into somethin’ you made.”

Both boys bit into their sandwiches and whacked at their pieces of wood.

***

Jimmy-Joe spun the numbers around on his lock until it clicked open. The stench of dirty socks wafted into his nostrils. He leaned into his locker to store his backpack on the bottom shelf. Tommy sidled up beside him and punched his locker open. Jimmy-Joe kept his eyes lowered.

Tommy said, “Hey Joe-Blow… lookie here…” as he flashed open a gleaming pocket knife. “You better watch out.”

Jimmy-Joe didn’t respond. He got his books, closed up his locker, and went to class. Mr. Wilson, mopping the end of the corridor, silently observed.

***

Jimmy-Joe and Jasper pulled their pieces of wood out of the janitor’s cupboard and sat them on the table. They opened their lunch boxes and set out their sandwiches and Cokes.

Mr. Wilson asked, “Whatchyou boys makin’ there with your pieces of wood?”

“I’m making a car with wheels,” said Jasper.

“I was thinking about making a bowl as a gift for my mom,” said Jimmy-Joe.

“Tha’s good,” said Mr. Wilson. “Tha’s good. I saw you this morning when Tommy went to his locker. You mind to stay away from that boy, ya hear? He’s got bad blood. His Daddy stabbed a man to death in a barroom brawl. He in prison now. The apple don’t fall from the tree. That Tommy ain’t no good for nuthin’.”

“Well, I ain’t looking for trouble, Mr. Wilson. Tommy just keeps after me. I don’t know what to do about it.”

“You know whatchyou need, Boy? You needs a Superpower.”

“A Superpower… what’s that?”

“Well, I can’t rightly say for sure. It’s different for all people. Whatever your Superpower is…you have to figure that out for yourself. Here’s mine…” Mr. Wilson pulled his pant leg up to his knee. An ornately carved wooden leg was fastened to his stump that ended at his knee. Jimmy-Joe and Jasper's eyes widened.

“What happened to you?” asked Jasper.

“I done got hit by a car. It was a drunk driver. He took off my leg and I got right depressed for a good year after that. I felt like my life was over. But then one day I said to myself… Rodney, you need to pick yo’self up and git goin’ again. You can’t sit around feeling scared and sorry for yo’self every day. So that’s when I got out this piece of wood. I started carvin’ and shavin’ it every day until I made it into a shape that turned into this here leg.”

“But it’s got carvings all over it. What are they for?” asked Jimmy-Joe.

“Well, son, see here… this one is the shape of a car. That one’s so’s I never forget what happened to me. And this one, is a book, for when I started learnin’ to read. I ain’t got much, but when I accomplishes somethin’ I make a carvin’ out of it to show me that I is strong…that I have a Superpower, and it’s inside of me. You have it too. You just has to find it.”

“Aw, stink!” said Jimmy-Joe as he punched a hole right through to the other side of the bowl that he was carving for his mom. “And just as it was starting to look like a bowl too.” Jimmy-Joe slumped into his seat, defeated.

***

Tommy and his gang hid behind the bushes on Jimmy-Joe's route home from school. “Shhh!” he whispered to his friends. “Keep quiet so he doesn’t hear us.”

When Jimmy-Joe and Jasper passed by the bushes, Tommy and his gang leaped out. “Grab that one!” Tommy commanded as he pointed to Jasper. “I’ve got Jimmy-Joe-Blow!” Tommy grabbed Jimmy-Joe by the collar and pinned him up against a tree. He pulled his jack-knife from his pocket and flipped it open. “See this…” he said, as he pressed the knife against Jimmy-Joe’s throat. “You’re gonna bring me ten dollars every day or else I’m gonna sneak into your house when you’re sleeping and I’m gonna slit your hoe-mama’s throat.”

“My mama’s not a hoe!” shouted Jimmy-Joe as he tried to break free of Tommy’s grasp. “I’ll show you. You go down to the cemetery tonight at midnight. You’ll see my Superpower and you better be afraid,” said Jimmy-Joe.

“Ha! You don’t scare me!” said Tommy, as he pressed the knife harder against Jimmy-Joe’s neck. “Superpower my arse,” he said as he spit on the ground.

“Leave him alone!” cried Jasper as he wriggled his hands that were held behind his back. “Help! Help!” screamed Jasper.

“Hey, you boys!” called out Mr. Wilson.

The bullies ran off as Jimmy-Joe yelled, “I ain’t afraid of you!”

“You boys alright?” asked Mr. Wilson. “I done told you that Tommy is bad blood. You keep away from him ya hear?”

***

“I’ve got an idea. I just have to go home and work on it and I need your help. Can you ask your mom if you can stay over at my house tonight?” Jimmy-Joe asked Jasper.

“Sure, J.J.,” said Jasper.

***

Jasper plunked his backpack onto the spare bed in Jimmy-Joe’s room.

“I’ve got a plan,” said Jimmy-Joe, as he pulled his wooden carving out of his backpack. “This was going to be a bowl, but now it’s going to be my Superpower!”

“Your Superpower… what do you mean?”

“I mean, we’re going to use it to scare Tommy and his gang into leaving us alone forever! Here’s what we’re going to do… see this hole that I poked in my bowl by accident? We’re going to poke another hole beside it to make it into two eyes, and I’m going to dig a bigger hole down farther for a mouth. We’re going to turn the bowl into a mask. And at eleven o’clock we’re going to go down to the cemetery with our supplies and set it up to scare Tommy good once and for all.”

“Let’s get at it, J.J.!”

Jimmy-Joe and Jasper chiseled out the openings, painted white circles around the eyes, and taped some firecrackers in the eye holes. They tied a long string to use as a wick to light the firecrackers. They gathered up a big bed sheet, the wooden mask, matches, a flashlight, Jimmy-Joe’s tall speaker, and karaoke microphone, and placed it all in a wagon.

***

Midnight. Jimmy-Joe and Jasper dragged their wagon to a remote corner of the cemetery where the backdrop was a wall of tall hedges.

“Okay, Jasper… I’m going to get up on top of this speaker on the wagon. I’ve got the microphone set to sound like a robot voice. You tie the sheet up over my head and I’m going to hold the mask up above it. When I say to Tommy, “Or else!” you light the string with the matches, then slowly push the wagon forward. You got that?”

“Yes, got it!”

***

“Where are you Jimmy-Blow-Hole? I’m coming to get you!” shouted Tommy.

An owl hooted and broke the silence. “This place is creepy!” said one of Tommy’s gang as they crept through the tombstones.

“I’m over here…come and get me!” Jimmy-Joe shouted back.

 “This won’t take long,” said Tommy. “I can’t see you Jimmy-Hoe-Mama’s-Boy. Are you shakin’ and cryin’?”

Jimmy-Joe lit up the flashlight under the mask just as Tommy and the gang approached the wagon.

“Eeeeeyaaaa!” gasped one of the gang members who tried to run back. Mr. Wilson was standing behind them with a large stick in his hands. He’d heard Jimmy-Joe’s plan earlier and sat in wait for them to come. Tommy and his gang were trapped.

“Who are you?” Tommy asked the masked goliath.

“I - AM - JIMMY-JOE’S - PROTECTOR. YOU – WILL – NOT – BULLY – JIMMY-JOE – EVER – AGAIN. OR – ELSE…”

Jasper took his cue and lit the match and set the wick on fire.

“OR – ELSE – I – WILL – COME – AFTER – YOU!”

“Pow, pow, pow…pow pow!” Firecrackers started sizzling and popping out of the mask’s eyes, as Jasper started pushing the wagon forward.

“DO – YOU – UNDERSTAND?” thundered the masked robot.

“Yes…Yes… I’ll never do it again!” cried Tommy, as he and his gang burst past Mr. Wilson, almost knocking him over.

“That was awesome!” shouted Jasper.

“I don’t think you’ll have to worry about those thugs ever again,” said Mr. Wilson.

“That’s because I found my Super-power,” said Jimmy-Joe.

***

Jimmy-Joe’s mom knocked on his door. “What are you doing Honey?”

“I just finished carving a car and a wagon on my mask. I put dates on them too. The 15^th of October, for when Dad died, and the 14^th for when I stood up to Tommy the bully. I’ll tell you all about that later.”

“Oh, okay. Well, we’ll be going out to the cemetery soon for The Anniversary. Do you think you’ll feel like coming?”

“Yes, Mama. I just have one more thing to do and then I’ll be there.”

“Okay, I’ll be downstairs when you’re ready.”

***

Jimmy-Joe got out a piece of paper and a pencil and began his letter…

Dear Dad,

I know that I can’t see you or hear you the same way that I used to, but I’m trying to mind Mama and do good in school. I had some trouble with some mean boys, but I fixed ‘em good. I used my Superpowers on them. I sure miss you, and I know that someday I’m going to see you again. Until then, I want to tell you that I’m doing the best that I can to be the man of the house now that you are gone.

Love,

Jimmy-Joe

***

Jimmy-Joe’s mom placed a bouquet of flowers on her husband’s grave, touched the headstone, and stepped away. “Did you want to go now, Jimmy-Joe?”

“I just have to do one thing,” said Jimmy-Joe.

He pulled the mask out of his backpack, leaned it up against the tombstone, and slipped the folded-up letter out of his pocket. He tucked it carefully into the flowers, then stretched his hand out towards his Mama’s and grasped hers.

“You were right, Mama,” said Jimmy-Joe. “Anniversaries are for good memories.”