Lost Birthright
/She was losing it—losing her grip and her birthright; but, she didn’t know it yet…
What she did know was that her neighbors were all missing the point, while they threw all their little points at each other.
The neighborhood was rundown and spawning crime, with people ready to abandon it to the thugs.
The crisis couldn’t be conquered with little thoughts and demands; they had to all agree to at least one idea bigger than their egos…
She wondered why everyone was claiming a different reason for the rotten situation, as if they weren’t all part of the big reason…
They could argue all they liked; but, there must be a way to fold all their opinions into some overall scheme to save the neighborhood.
Crime for the young ones—church for the old ones—harsh work for the others—no one agreeing with anyone else…
She’d always tried to think from broad principles down to the details; but, all these people seemed capable of was seeing a few of the details and thinking those were the “principles”.
She almost wished she could pick a few details and join the merry fray; but, father had been a very strong influence, and father had been a true success, even if he did die poor…
Like he always used to say: Trials and tribulations should see you seeking stronger awareness of your ultimate purpose, not seeking to lower your aim and settle for less than your birthright...
June spoke her thoughts, “He’d always said my birthright was to learn the proper principles—know them so I could organize any and all details… But, these people…”
They didn’t seem to want any broad thoughts—everything was immediate and personal and small…
She woke up to where she was—the drugstore at Main and Clover.
She walked in with, “Hey, Mabel.”
“Hey, June, whatcha need?”
“Peace of Mind”
Mabel clucked at her.
“Really, Mabel, my mind’s run ragged. I appoint myself to run a committee to save the neighborhood and no one wants to join it—‘cept one kid I know deals drugs—like he could do anything to help—probably thought it’d help him deal…”
“Well, June, I’ll be on the committee; and, if you could show them that drugs are death—“
“Mabel, stop… please… You know they make too much money to listen to any sense.”
“Yeah, I spose…”
“But, I ‘preciate your being the first serious person on my committee—you rock!”
“Thanks, hon—so wha’ja come in for?
June gave Mabel a blank stare; said, “Don’t know…”; turned around and walked out of the store.
On the street, she looked back into the store, waved to Mabel and shouted, “See ya for my shift tomorrow!”, turned right, and walked up Clover—heading toward the Pastor’s house.
---
Later, over near the park, she stopped by Lucy Stone’s place.
Lucy opened the front door just as June hit the porch with, “June Bridgeman, just the woman I needed to talk to.”
“Really? And, here I am lookin’ to talk to you, Ms Stone.”
“Well, come on in—Pastor just called me—I’ll put on the tea…”
Three hours later, June was walking back toward the Pastor’s house when she stopped cold and took out her phone.
A speed-dial later, she said, “George, book me in to the back room for Saturday, 2 pm… Right—bye.”
The back room was at Josie’s Tavern—she had three days to finish drumming up a real committee.
---
Saturday—1:45 pm—Josie’s back room—June, Lucy, the Pastor, the kid who claimed he was the most important dealer in the neighborhood, and Mabel sat at the table, waiting for the rest of the committee…
---
2:15 pm—two more people arrive: John Parker, gun shop owner; and, Sally Whitcome, owner of Betty’s Beauty Boutique.
---
2:30 pm—June bangs her gavel and the Pastor stands up:
“Ya’ll’er here ’cause we need to clean up our neighborhood—“
The most important dealer in the neighborhood shoots up and says:
“Clean up? Yeah, clean up with max bucks, max sales—“
Sally from the beauty shop nearly screams, “Like hell you say!”
The most important dealer in the neighborhood stands up and walks out.
Lucy grabs June’s gavel, stands and bangs the table, hard.
Lucy looks around, licks her lips, and says:
“Listen… We’re all different… I’m probably most different—bein’ oldest—but, listen—there’s no use any of us talk if we don’t have some big idea we all share, like June taught me—“
The gun shop owner walks out, followed by the beauty shop owner…
Mabel looks around the table and says, “Ain’t gonna work…”
---
Three weeks later—June is back at Josie’s, roaring drunk.
She’s looking at herself in the backbar mirror and wondering who she is.
The Pastor’s sitting next to her, lightly intoxicated.
He looks at her in the mirror and says, “So, who are you, June?”
She glances at him in the mirror, then right at him; looks around the bar, and back at herself.
“I’m the lady who thought I could organize a bunch of people into a cohernit—co—coherent group to save this damned evil neighborhood…”
“Ain’t evil, June.”
“Is…”
“Nope, just a bunch a misguided folk don’t know no better—you’d havta’uv raised ’em up from kids and gave ’em a right education—no way ta save ’em from their fate now…”
June stared at the Pastor in the mirror, took a chug of beer and said:
“No hope.”
“Sure there’s hope; just not for these folk.”
“But you’re a pastor…”
“Jesus done miracles, not me.”
June kept staring at him, wondering, in a swirl of thought, if she had any goals left—had any hope—had any sense of self—what did Dad say…?
She couldn’t remember…
---
Two weeks later—June’s in her car headed out of the neighborhood—out of town—out of her mind?
She did remember what her father had always said—she just wasn’t sure if she could still live up to it…
Trials and tribulations should see you seeking stronger awareness of your ultimate purpose, not seeking to lower your aim and settle for less than your birthright...
…ultimate purpose…
June spoke her thoughts to the open road: “Why did he have to die so soon? I was barely thirteen…
“Fifteen years since… got a shady past and a failed experiment tryin’ta save people from their own fates…”
………
Ultimate
Purpose
June had some big questions to answer…
By Alexander Zoltai
From: United States
Website: https://nfaa.wordpress.com/
Twitter: AlexZ80365313