{"id":972,"date":"2017-04-08T14:15:24","date_gmt":"2017-04-08T18:15:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/takethepatience.com\/?p=972"},"modified":"2017-04-08T14:15:24","modified_gmt":"2017-04-08T18:15:24","slug":"95-america-street-chapter-4","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/takethepatience.com\/?p=972","title":{"rendered":"95 America Street, Chapter 4"},"content":{"rendered":"

May 5, 2012<\/em><\/p>\n

Franklin Holmes Community Center was a unique plot in its immediate area for one major reason: the building itself covered a footprint that was much smaller than the remaining property that surrounded it which was mainly a paved lot.\u00a0 It used to be a lumber\/hardware store which would account for all the space around the building and the ample parking.\u00a0 The store went out of business at some point in the mid-90\u2019s, the reasons being that: a) the original owner handed the business off to an incompetent son and b) Home Depots started pulling business away from it.\u00a0 The owner\u2019s son sold the property to the city who in turn tried their less than best to convert the space into a community center.\u00a0 It was a tad awkward inside but the center was well-loved by its patrons.<\/p>\n

The front door was a thing of the past and clearly a leftover from the store (in fact, the whole outside looked original, save some paint).\u00a0 It was one of those automatic opening doors that simply swung open and into a metal railing when you stepped on a black mat that was between two railings in front of the door.\u00a0 I don\u2019t know which surprised me more: the fact that a community center would have allowed what could be a dangerous device or the fact that the door still worked.\u00a0 The front room was large with a receptionist window that looked into a small office.\u00a0 No one was in the window but that was probably due to the recently smashed glass that left sharp pieces all over the receptionist\u2019s desk.\u00a0 There were also three areas of spray-painted graffiti on the walls.\u00a0 Eventually a door opened and a woman in her mid-forties approached us.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow can I help you?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHi, you must be Lily, the director. I\u2019m Chris and this is Stever and Ripps.\u00a0 I just spoke with someone at City Hall about coming down here to help you folks out.\u00a0 They said they were going to call you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh\u2026yes.\u00a0 Thanks for coming down.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOur pleasure.\u00a0 Someone really did a number on this place.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lily definitely seemed a bit distracted.\u00a0 I wasn\u2019t sure if that was due to being at the head of a community center that was under attack or because there was a sleeveless gentleman in front of her holding a 2X4.\u00a0 As she spoke, her speech started in a very neutral position but slowly grew to the point where tears were nearby, \u201cWe\u2019ve had to hire a handyman to fix all the damage but he can barely keep up with the vandals and it\u2019s costing us so much and members are starting to leave and it won\u2019t be long before we have to close the\u2026I\u2019m sorry.\u201d\u00a0 She closed her eyes as if to hold back tears.\u00a0 The tears did not come but she erratically wiped her fingers under her eyes as if they were there.<\/p>\n

I tried to comfort her. \u201cDon\u2019t be silly, Lily\u2026I\u2019m sorry.\u00a0 I didn\u2019t mean to rhyme like that.\u00a0 Anyways, don\u2019t apologize for your emotion.\u00a0 We\u2019ll find out who\u2019s doing this and put an end to it.\u00a0 Why don\u2019t you show me what\u2019s happened here.\u201d\u00a0 I looked at Ripps and Stever.\u00a0 \u201cYou two guys can split up and have a look around.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lily took me into a kitchen area.\u00a0 Broken dishes and glasses had been hastily swept aside on the floor.\u00a0 There was more graffiti on the walls but this graffiti was done with a magic marker.\u00a0 The graffiti was very bizarre:<\/p>\n

\u201cFOOD IS STUPID\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen u drink MILK, u r drinking cow PISSSSSSSS\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe recipe for ice: put some water in a freezer, you idiot.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

I held back my laughter. \u201cAt least the vandal\u2019s graffiti themes are in line with this particular room.\u00a0 It looks like you have some security cameras around here. Could you take me to wherever you keep the recording device?\u201d<\/p>\n

Lily walked me down a corridor, took out a key, and unlocked an unmarked door.\u00a0 Inside was a closet that served as the CCTV system hub and a janitor\u2019s closet.\u00a0 The CCTV rack was roughly three feet from a sink used to wash out mops and paint brushes and many other grim objects.\u00a0 I was amazed the CCTV components were still working as they had been clearly splattered with all kinds of detestable liquids over the years as evidenced by countless dried up drip marks that left behind questionable residue.\u00a0 The system was old and therefore the recording was done with a VCR.<\/p>\n

\u201cWould you mind if I looked at some of the tapes?\u201d I asked her.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d love to but the vandals have stolen the recent tapes.\u00a0 My guess is that they were trying to cover their tracks.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lilly locked the door.\u00a0 I noticed there was no forced entry into the closet so my guess is that the vandals somehow found a key or picked the lock to gain access.<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

Ripps walked into a small weight room and found three oddly matched souls.\u00a0 The three appeared to be doing weightlifting motions but with no weights.\u00a0 There was a Hispanic boy of about 12.\u00a0 He was doing a curling motion. \u00a0The second was an overweight white man that may have been homeless.\u00a0 He was lying on a bench and bench pressing nothing.\u00a0 The third was a fit black woman in her early 70\u2019s with a hairdo that could only be described as immaculate that was wearing a large t-shirt that said \u201cOY VEY!\u201d in green letters that appeared to be brushed on.\u00a0 She was doing lunges.\u00a0 Ripps found this all to be disturbing.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou heretics!\u00a0 How dare you do aerobics in a weight room.\u201d<\/p>\n

The boy spoke, \u201cWe\u2019re not doing aerobics.\u201d<\/p>\n

In a garbled voice, the white man followed, \u201cSomeone stole our weights!\u201d<\/p>\n

And the older lady finished, \u201cSo all we have left to lift is our imagination.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat ain\u2019t right.\u201d\u00a0 That was all Ripps could say.\u00a0 He stood there watching them.\u00a0 He was mildly upset about a community center being vandalized but now it really angered him.\u00a0 Ripps looked at the boy and remembered a time when he too had no weights to lift and was forced to use his imagination.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

I found Ripps coming out of the weight room.\u00a0 \u201cDid you find anything?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSomeone stole the weights!\u201d he said with genuine concern.\u00a0 \u201cBut don\u2019t worry.\u00a0 I gave them some other stuff to lift.\u201d<\/p>\n

I opened the door to check on Ripps\u2019 handiwork and was amazed.\u00a0 The boy had been given two identical pails that had the same amount of water in each.\u00a0 This was great since he could now adjust the weight and the fact that it was filled with water forced him to have proper, steady form so the water would not splash everywhere.\u00a0 The woman was now lunging with a brick in each hand.\u00a0 Behind her, organized in twos were various objects that one could hold that appeared to be various weights but roughly the same as its partner.\u00a0 The man on the bench made me a little nervous.\u00a0 He was bench pressing an old television.\u00a0 Behind the bench on the floor were a several moving blankets whose purpose I assume was to act as a safe place to dump the TV when the man got tired.\u00a0 It was a strange scene but all three had some variety of smiles on their faces.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u201cGood job, Ripps. That\u2019s what I\u2019m talking about.\u00a0 That\u2019s exactly where your head needs to be at as a Jambassador.\u201d\u00a0 I then leaned in closer to him, handed him a piece of paper, and spoke quietly, \u201cI want you to, pardon me, you and Linda<\/em> to reposition all the cameras as I\u2019ve indicated on that piece of paper.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSure thing, bro.\u00a0 Hey Chris bro, what\u2019s up with the gay dude, Future Queer?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCall him Fred because that\u2019s his real name.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhatever\u2026why do we have to have a gay bro?\u00a0 I don\u2019t want people thinking the Jambassadors are into uhh, you know, faggotry.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cRipps, only you could make a word that doesn\u2019t exist, offensive.\u00a0 Listen, give him a chance, get to know him.\u00a0 He\u2019s a nice guy and I\u2019m sure it won\u2019t be long before you see how invaluable he is to our team.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIf he\u2019s so awesome and can travel through time, why doesn\u2019t he just fix everything?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell Ripps, if we don\u2019t know what\u2019s causing the problem, it\u2019s hard to know where to send him.\u00a0 Time travel is extremely dangerous so we can\u2019t send him anywhere until we have a complete picture of where we\u2019re sending him to.\u00a0 And, any jump that Fred makes has to be very important since his superiors will aggressively hold him accountable for each jump.\u00a0 Fred has to give an extremely detailed report for all of his time movements.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhatever.\u00a0 He\u2019s more of a lady than Linda.\u201d<\/p>\n

Judging from his demeanor, it looked like my words did have some impact but it was hard to tell how much.\u00a0 Hopefully Ripps\u2019 pride would dissolve enough to the point he could see that Fred presented no threat to him.<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

Stever walked into a large room that served as a gym or a function room or in the current case, a theater.\u00a0 At the opposite end was a stage with some curtains, lighting and sound set up, the likes of which were all rudimentary.\u00a0 A woman in her mid-twenties by the name of Amanda Pimmsley was standing in front of the stage and was in the middle of speaking to a group of children that were sitting on the floor in front of her.\u00a0 She was discussing the cutest of details about their upcoming play.\u00a0 Given the recent trouble, the prevailing mood of the children was one of apprehension.\u00a0 Stever stood by and watched with a big smile.\u00a0 When Miss Pimmsley, as the kids called her, stopped, Stever cut in.\u00a0 \u201cHi, Stever Pat\u00e9, international man of MOTIVATION!\u00a0 I\u2019m here with a group that\u2019s going to help save your center.\u00a0 Miss Pimmsley, would you mind if I have a quick word with these winners?\u201d<\/p>\n

Amanda Pimmsley had gotten word earlier in the day about our arrival.\u00a0 Otherwise, she hopefully would have sent this peculiar stranger packing.\u00a0 She nodded and made a \u201cthe stage is yours\u201d motion.\u00a0 Stever was used to what he had in front of him, an audience that was a slightly confused and timid.\u00a0 The tiniest err in content or delivery and he would lose them.\u00a0 Stever loved this challenge for he knew that if he could win someone over that was dubious in the beginning, he would have them for life.\u00a0 In fact, he liked to go one step further and literally lose the audience and then win them back.\u00a0 Such a move was \u201csignature Stever\u201d as his motivational speaker peers would say.<\/p>\n

\u201cFolks, I know some scary stuff has been going down and you\u2019re not sure if you should do this play on Friday. \u00a0You\u2019re all feeling fear\u2026and that\u2019s good. \u00a0I feel fear when I swim in the jelly fish-infested waters of Nova Scotia.\u00a0 I feel fear when I wrestle strong monkeys in South America. \u00a0Why do I put myself in the house of fear? \u00a0Because fear puts you on the edge\u2026and that\u2019s where I live, darn it. \u00a0I\u2019m serious; try mailing something to Stever Pat\u00e9, The Edge and it will get to me. \u00a0If you\u2019re not living on the edge, you\u2019re taking up too much space.\u201d<\/p>\n

A child timidly rose his hand.\u00a0 Stever asked him to speak and the small boy did so, \u201cI feel fear right now.\u201d\u00a0 This was it.\u00a0 This was the place Stever wanted to be: the first moment of losing his audience.\u00a0 Now it was time to bring them back by building them up.<\/p>\n

\u201cGood!\u201d\u00a0 Stever said in a burst.\u00a0 \u201cThen I officially welcome you to the edge, my friend!\u00a0 I want you all to repeat after me, \u2018I feel fear\u2019.\u201d\u00a0 The children all looked at each other but said nothing.\u00a0 Stever smiled comfortably which caused them to feel a sliver of trust.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s okay folks.\u00a0 You can do it.\u00a0 Repeat after me, \u2018I feel fear.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

A little more than half responded, \u201cI feel fear.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m on the edge!\u201d Stever directed.<\/p>\n

The ones that did not speak before now spoke and those that spoke before did so now with more passion. \u201cI\u2019m on the edge!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m a winner!!\u201d<\/p>\n

Now in a complete, energetic unison they returned, \u201cI\u2019m a winner!!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m going to buy a copy of Stever Pat\u00e9\u2019s entire motivational program on laser disc!\u201d<\/p>\n

With smiles and a few laughs, they launched into this line, \u201cI\u2019m going to buy a copy of\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

Stever interjected, \u201cHa!\u00a0 I got you guys.\u00a0 And hey, I\u2019m going to get you all a Stever Starter Kit.\u00a0 You can pick one up here tomorrow.\u00a0 I\u2019m outta here\u2026with no more fear!\u00a0 Thank you Miss Pimmsley.\u00a0 They\u2019re ready.\u00a0 It\u2019s going to be the best theatrical production Boston has ever seen!\u201d<\/p>\n

Amanda Pimmsley was amazed and pleased and in the middle of a good laugh.\u00a0 Once the laughter subsided, she thanked Stever.\u00a0 Stever jogged to the door but when he was close to the exit, he spun around on one foot and shouted, \u201cI\u2019m a winner!\u201d<\/p>\n

They volleyed back with no thought of delay.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m a winner!!!\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

Ripps arrived at the last security camera, next to the bathroom.\u00a0 He could hear some sort of construction work being done nearby so he repositioned the camera with the help of Linda as quickly as possible.\u00a0 Like the space oddity he is, Ripps spoke to a piece of wood.\u00a0 \u201cThose protein shakes are hitting me.\u00a0 I gotta take a leak so you wait here.\u00a0 I\u2019d take you with me but the bro\u2019s room ain\u2019t no place for a broad.\u201d\u00a0 Ripps set Linda down just outside the men\u2019s room door.<\/p>\n

Immediately after Ripps entered the bathroom, Carl the handyman came out of a nearby door.\u00a0 He was probably about 50 but because this man clearly did not take care of himself, his age was hard to determine.\u00a0 He had scruffy dirty blond hair that you could almost call curly but technically had to classify as wavy.\u00a0 The only grey hair to be found on this man was in a very trim, George Lucas beard that seemed to exist in hopes of adding some definition to a jaw line that was practically buried in a surplus of neck flesh.\u00a0 His red flannel shirt was rolled up at the sleeves exposing some beefy, sawdust-covered forearms.\u00a0 This poor shirt did all it could to keep an industrial-strength gut at bay.\u00a0 Below this gut, in the order of their appearance, was a tool belt, faded jeans and dark-colored work boots.<\/p>\n

He walked over to a water fountain next to the men\u2019s room door and inhaled water in an effort to replace the water lost in a glorious sweat mark that covered half of his back.\u00a0 The disgusting way he slurped and allowed his beefy mouth to touch the nozzle was the very reason I avoid water fountains altogether.\u00a0 To make matters worse, he began putting his hair and face into the stream of water which caused his germ-stacked hair to slide over the nozzle like the long strips of a felt curtain sliding over a car in a car wash.\u00a0 He brought his head upright and shook it around like a dog exiting a pond, spraying water everywhere.\u00a0 As he made his way back, he noticed Linda leaning against the wall.\u00a0 He picked her up, examined her with great curiosity and brought this unique piece of lumber into his workspace.\u00a0 Needing some small sturdy blocks, he placed Linda in the tray area of his compound miter saw and began to mercilessly cut Linda into pieces.\u00a0 The saw seemed to struggle a little as it went.\u00a0 The sound it made was one of sorrow.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

I paced in the front hall, writing some notes while I waited for Ripps and Stever to return.\u00a0 Stever was the first to make it back. \u201cYou find anything?\u201d I asked him.<\/p>\n

With the glow of a newlywed, he told me, \u201cJust a bunch of young humans that have embraced their fears.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHa.\u00a0 That\u2019s great.\u00a0 Where did you see\u2026\u201d Before I could finish, Ripps flew into the foyer area in a panic.\u00a0 I had not known Ripps for that long but I felt this was a state he was rarely in.\u00a0 I would never had told him this but there was something almost geekish about his panic.<\/p>\n

\u201cHAVE YOU SEEN LINDA?!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo Ripps, I thought she was with you.\u00a0 Try to relax.\u00a0 Where did you last see her?\u201d\u00a0 I couldn\u2019t believe I was talking about a piece of wood this way but he was very distressed.\u00a0\u00a0 It was as if the loss of this inanimate object brought back some childhood terror.<\/p>\n

As I later found out, Ripps had a toy robot when he was a child that he named Linda.\u00a0 One Sunday afternoon, as his father was watching the New England Patriots lose, he was putting the finishing touches on a 12-pack of some pathetic brand of beer.\u00a0 Ripps was in the corner of the family room playing with his robot.\u00a0 His father heard him call his toy \u201cLinda\u201d which sent him into a rage.\u00a0 \u201cBoys don\u2019t call their toys, Linda!\u00a0 What\u2019s wrong with you?!\u201d\u00a0 Ripps\u2019 father ripped the toy out of his son\u2019s hands and whipped it against the fireplace, causing the toy to shatter into an uncountable number of pieces.\u00a0 Ripps\u2019 sight was rendered useless with the thick warm layer of tears that coated his eyeballs.\u00a0 His father gruffly walked out of the room and left Ripps to pick up all the pieces of his robot.\u00a0 Flustered and emotional, he at first didn\u2019t feel the burning heat of the fire as he went to rescue the pieces of Linda that fell into the fireplace.\u00a0 He had to go to the emergency room to treat the burns he received from getting too close to the flames and from the pieces of melting plastic he touched with his hand. \u00a0There was a part of Ripps that burned himself on purpose \u2013 that was his way of punishing his father.\u00a0 Ripps would watch his father\u2019s face with a dark joy the few times he uncomfortably lied to a couple friends or family about how Ripps received his burns.<\/p>\n

\u201cI put her down near the last camera we fixed\u2026I went to take a leak\u2026gone, she was gone.\u201d Ripps finished and there was a silence that lasted a few moments.<\/p>\n

Stever stared at him and truly believed he could heal Ripps but it was clear he did not yet understand what this seemingly unimportant piece of wood meant to Ripps. \u201cRipps, you\u2019re experiencing loss and loss is a challenge.\u00a0 This is a good thing.\u00a0 I once lost my favorite pair of motivational slacks.\u00a0 I dared not enter a stage to motivate unless it was in these slacks.\u00a0 But what I\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

It was easy to see that Stever\u2019s empathizing was doing more harm than good so I cut in, \u201cWhoa Stever, let\u2019s chat about your slacks another time.\u00a0 Ripps, one way or another I\u2019m going to get my hands on the security camera footage and when I do, we\u2019ll find out what happened to Linda.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

May 5, 2012 Franklin Holmes Community Center was a unique plot in its immediate area for one major reason: the building itself covered a footprint that was much smaller than the remaining property that surrounded it which was mainly a paved lot.\u00a0 It used to be a lumber\/hardware store which would account for all the … <\/p>\n

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