The Death of 1977 (Book 3)

Seated comfortably in the passenger's seat next to Isaiah, Lynnette kept a quiet vigil all to herself. Inside Isaiah's Jeep Caravan all that could be heard was the humming engine, along with the ever present sighing that would every so often come from the woman's agonizing mouth. The Cypress scenery passed by so vividly in Lynnette's eyes that just attempting to focus on or identify one building or landmark was seemingly pointless. All she really desired to do was sit and watch the landscape fly by. The thoughts and recollections inside of her were so jumbled that she had to ball up her fists just to keep from crying all over again.

"We used to have some really cold winters here back in the day." Lynnette sighed so heavily.

Appearing rather amused, Isaiah turned to his mother. "Well, well, the dead has finally awoke." He smirked.

Lynnette just grinned somewhat while keeping her head to the streets. "I remember when you were a baby, I had to take you to the hospital in two feet of snow because you had fallen down the porch steps and bloodied up your knee."

"Oh yeah, Grandma told me about that once."

"Yep, I had to take the bus and walk a block just to get to the hospital. But then again, you were such a rough and tumble little boy." Lynnette said. "Back then, we used to have some monster winters. Not these sissy one's we have today."

Isaiah just chuckled from his gut while asking, "Is that right?"

Glancing over at him, Lynnette replied, "Sure is. These kids today don't know what a real snowstorm is. We used to have Level Three's all the time back then."

"That, and you used to walk ten miles in the snow to school, and ten miles back home." Isaiah quipped. "You used to wash your clothes in the sink. You used to milk the cows before you went to bed at two a.m. every night."

"Boy, you'd better stop that." Lynnette giggled.

Giggling right back, Isaiah replied, "You sound like my students." 'Mr. Glover, I didn't do my homework last night because I had to walk to my grandparents' house in the snow to get some pens.'

"You forget that you used to make up some silly excuses yourself when you were their age, too."

"Yeah, but I don't remember ever using the snow as an excuse."

Lynnette just smiled and looked back out the window again. Isaiah stopped at a traffic light. Standing right in front of a business building was a vendor serving gyros. It was a black man wearing a red, yellow and green beanie hat on his head while lathering a customer's gyro with cucumber sauce. At that very instant the images inside Lynnette's brain ventured right back to the island.

"What's it like being back here again after all these years?" Isaiah suddenly asked as he resumed driving.

Lynnette not only snapped back to life, her body also shook in her seat. Clearing her throat, she answered, "You have to understand, this city looks familiar, but different in so many ways."

"I ask that because your eyes are still swollen from the graveyard." Isaiah kept his eyes glued to the road ahead. "I know that you didn't come all the way back here just to visit your sisters, nieces and nephews."

looked hard at Isaiah at that point and asked, "Tell

at his mother before saying, "I know he meant something very special to you at

go and speak to that man's grave today? Yes, you went to speak to your granddad Charles, but you had something to say to Isaac as well. What was

moment without once taking his eyes off of the road. "All of my life I've heard Aunt Jackie, Lavonia and Bernadette talk so harshly about him. While Grandpa Charles spoke so fondly. But it

at that point while twisting and turning in her seat. "I...I need for you to pull this thing into a parking lot or

Isaiah hastily

"Just pull into this gas station for a moment." She pointed

Isaiah pulled his vehicle into the nearest filling station parking lot and stopped. He

"Mom, what's the matter?"

to catch her breath,

not why I held back talking about Isaac all these years. If you were to ask me why I cheated on him, I honestly couldn't give you a rational response. Isaac was, and still is, my very first love. We met each other way back in the sixth grade. We met at a food fight, of all places. But as time went on, we went through the ups and downs of being

Lynnette couldn't help but to hold onto Isaiah's hand as tight as she could, as though she felt she

moments, I turned away from him, and ran to another man. It pained me so much to have to tell Isaac what I did, but we went on...pretending that it

back, Isaiah asked, "How is it that you can love a man that nearly killed both you and I? All I've ever heard from the family all my life was how he almost wiped us out. And yet, you sit here telling me how much you loved him. I don't understand that, mom. I don't understand why you had me drive you to see him.

The woman exhaled as hard as she could. She had words stored within her for the past forty some odd years, and yet, at the most

you remember when I went to

"Yeah," Isaiah

sat back. "Yes, I was gone for a number of years, but it was in those years that I was

what, mom?" Isaiah replied agitated. "Why still after all these years are you being so elusive with me? I'm a full grown man, for God's

was very sick. But it wasn't his fault. He hurt you and I, and yet, it still wasn't his fault. I've learned throughout time that there are very ugly forces

this anymore." Isaiah tossed up his hands in a

"Please listen to me!" Lynnette grabbed the man by the hands and

anguish before sighing, "I don't know for sure. I remember you always

I mean, what scary

and glanced outside the windshield for a moment

"I...I remember when I was in elementary school, I always seemed to have this recurring dream or nightmare about...about something big with these eyes always staring at me. In the dream it was loud. And for some reason there was

own tears at

"Mom, what's going on?" He spoke more

a lonely little boy. He always reminded me of you. I think that's why I gravitated towards

eyes with her. She knew that she had his attention, but she wanted