American River Review 2022 - copy - Flipbook - Page 55
to say, frisked Jonny checking his pockets and the car. He allowed Jonny to get
his license and employee ID once he frisked him, but the officer continued to
be criticizing, evident that he had a bad day, “What! That makes no sense. No
one told you that you had permission to do this; you are lying!
Just being lazy and trying to get away with.” States the officer. Jonny snapped,”
why would I do that!
I was told there was no way to drive on the sidewalk, and I believed we had special permission from Employer Jacob’s valet to go on the sidewalk for this event
officer. I am not lying!” Jonny retorted. The officer slammed him against the car
violently and got close in his ear with Jonny arm behind “who are you talking to
right now, boy!” Nobody sorry, officer, I was trying to explain,” a broken Jonny
responded, shaken by the sudden force and abruptness of event taking place;
this had never happened to him before. He was an honor student, had plans
to attend college, played high school basketball, and he cannot believe this is
happening. The officer eased up and allowed Johnny to call his co-worker. The
white co-worker came out to explain that yes, they were told they had permission to park the cars this way. The officer announced he was not informed of
this and to put a halt to this driving on the sidewalk, and because Jonny had
such a clean record, not even a parking ticket, he did not arrest him but gave
him a ticket anyhow. He leaned forward back close in Jonny’s ear warningly;
the policeman proclaimed, “because you got such a smart-ass mouth!” got in
his car and left.
Jonny found out later that this valet company had put people in this situation before, and the officer gave him a moving violation ticket, so he quit. He
remembers going home that night traumatized and confused but knew he was
blessed he had survived the ordeal. The next day he told Ma about it, and she
went off on him! Jonny could not understand how she could not take his side,
unfair, on this! He did not do anything wrong; why is Ma mad. Ma shouted!
“you said what to the officer! Don’t you ever talk back to them you hear me!”
She grabbed Jonny, who was 5’9 then Ma only 5’4, by his collar and said, “Don’t
you ever talk back to a policeman you hear me! I do not care what they do or
say! She shouted:” because that is a matter of life and death for you! I want you
to come alive, you hear me! Talking back to the police for a young black man in
the middle of ritzy downtown Chicago is a death warrant! Now get out of my
face!” Johnny stomped off to his room to sulk.
Years away from that day, he does understand Ma now and why she did
that. She just wanted to protect him from the harshness; however, the harsh
way she went about it made it hard to understand that back then. Ma is that
way today with the bite. No filter Jonny notes; she can be so seemingly so hard
on him with expectations; however, she cannot be expected to visit when his
first child was born or move here to California to be near her family, but now
she made her choices, and he made his. He is all grown up now, not a little
boy. He turns into the church parking lot, parks, and, looking at the phone dial
screen, presses Mom under recent calls to talk. “Hello,” Ma answers, “Hey Ma,
Jonny says,” I just wanted to say sorry. We do not always have to agree, but we
love you. I am going in to teach now.
“Okay, bye son, Love you too,” Ma says.
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