Читать книгу The Hip Hop Murderer - Dwayne Bowen - Страница 5

As they head back to the barracks in South Carolina, Joe looks out the window of the train while Bruce talks to him about their final weeks in the army.

Bruce says, "Hey man...you don't know how long I've been waiting for this month to come. It seems like we've been in the army forever. What the hell are we gonna do now?!"

"I don't know about you, B, but I plan on going home, making love to my wife, and putting the strap to Bryan if he doesn't straighten up."

"Why, what's going on with him?"

Joe takes a breath and continues to stare out the window. "Bryan is so into this rap music that I can't seem to fathom the person it's turning him into. His mom has been telling me that he's being very disrespectful toward her, not doing well in school, and always ripping and running the streets with this one, bad news crew. According to Leslie, it's not an actual gang that he's in but a clique that he always hangs out with that doesn't seem to want to go to school either."

"So what's your plan of execution, man?!" Bruce asks with concern.

"I don't know...I don't know, man. I'm gonna go home and hopefully God will give me the right words to say to Bryan that'll help guide him out of this dead-end he's headed down. All I can do is pray about it, man."

"That's all we have left to do at this point, my brother. I prayed for the strength to make it through Bryson's funeral and now I'm left with praying for strength to do without him in our lives. I pray God gives Lisa the strength to hold on until I come home. I feel so vengeful that I want to just go out and kill someone for taking my son away from me. You know...eye for an eye. Only thing is, I don't know who did it, but I guarantee someone at his funeral does. Until that day comes, I'll be waiting patiently for the son of a bitch. This hip hop music is so damn reckless and our kids are feeding right into it."

With his head tilted on the seat, eyes staring at the ceiling, tears start to stream down Bruce's face. "To be honest with you, Joe Joe, I'm dying inside and I know Lisa is feeling the exact same way. The army has occupied my time but every minute I'm not doing something, I'm thinking about my boy. I've been beating myself up about not leaving 5 years ago like I had originally planned. I know if I had left when I set out to, Bryson would still be here; I know that for a fact. This is all my fault, man."

Bruce puts his palms over his eyes and shakes his head in disbelief as if to seek understanding.

Joe looks over at Bruce and puts his hand on his shoulder, shaking his head in disagreement. "Bruce, this isn't your fault and you know it. We can't protect our kids from what God has ordained for them. I know it hurts to hear that but we have to believe it to be true right now. That is what's going to get you through these last weeks in the army. The last thing you want is to end up like Lester Reed. He thought killing himself was the only answer after his wife passed the same month he was retiring from the army. They had made big plans to see the world together once he was honorably discharged. But God had other plans for his wife."

Joe repositions his body so he can face Bruce. "You see, Bruce, things just happen that we have no control over and ninety-nine percent of the time, we don't even know why they happen. I know nothing I say today will change the fact that Bryson is gone, but we all know that justice will be served for the person who did this."

With his eyes closed, Bruce says, "I'm just going to give it to God and leave the investigation up to the cops."

Joe sits back in his seat, closing his eyes and resting his head back. "By the way, who was that girl acting out at Bryson's funeral?"

Bruce opens his eyes and knocks Joe's arm. "You know...I was thinking the same thing! I hear my wife crying, then I hear someone else crying and then, all of a sudden, this girl starts falling all over the floor of the church. I'm assuming she's someone that went to school with Bryson."

"Well, it's nice to know he touched someone else's life like he touched ours."