Chapter Forty-Eight

Here’s another Chapter of Lost and Found!

In this Chapter I’m introducing a new character, Sally, who turns out be an important part of my life during these young years. You’ll learn much more about her in later Chapters, some of which are still being written.

This Chapter is also a bit long for a blog post, but I didn’t see any way to cut it back. Oh yeah, it’s rated R for language!

Rather than take up more space, I’ll not make any more comments here — other than to say, “Thank you all, for the great comments you’re leaving on the blog!” They sure are appreciated.

Be well, be in peace,

Ron Rink
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When I became of member of the Dukes it didn’t take long for me to learn more about gang life. After I had my two fights with Crazy Jimmy and Bobby, Billy informed me they were two of the best street fighters in the gang. I also discovered whenever Bob Morton wasn’t around, Billy was the leader of the gang. That meant the only person in the gang who Billy couldn’t beat in a fight, was Bob Morton. The fact I was able to beat Crazy Jimmy and Bobby, plus the fact that Billy and I were friends before I became a gang member, gave me special status among the other members, despite my age. What really surprised me was how Bob Morton seemed to take a special interest in me as well.

When I first got into the gang and started hanging around the Sugar Bowl, Morton would often pretend to box with me. I’d walk in and he would act as if he was sparring with me. I’d put up my dukes too and we would pretend we were fighting. It was fun, but it also gave me an idea of how quick he was. His hands would be a complete blur as he Threw jabs at my face. I would jab back but he was so much bigger that my hands would be a mile away from his face. I watched him carefully, though. In his own way, he was teaching me more about how to fight. “C’mon, Van Buren,” he’d say, “Lemme see what you can do, man.”

He’d circle first in one direction, and then the other, moving so fast that I would get dizzy. “Look at my eyes, kid. The clues about what’s coming next are in the eyes.” Then one hand would flick out at my face while the other hand would fly straight towards my stomach. My hands would shoot up to protect my face, while I jumped backwards to avoid his shot to the stomach. I couldn’t believe how fast he was.

More evidence about how Bob Morton might be giving me special treatment happened about two months after I started going to the Sugar Bowl and hanging out with the gang.

One of the Duchesses who hung out with the gang, Sally, came into the store late one afternoon and told the guys about how she and her cousin ran into some trouble over at Palmer Park earlier that day.

Palmer Park was located along Woodward Avenue just south of Seven Mile Road. The park had a large pond in the middle of it and lots of walking paths through the wooded areas. There were swings, teeter-totters, park benches and picnic tables scattered around. The pond was great during the winter months for ice-skating. I had just begun to learn how to speed skate, and there was a large oval island in the middle of the pond where the speed skaters would whirl around. It was a challenge to join them and try to keep up with some of the faster skaters. Around the perimeter of the park, there were some tall apartment buildings with parking areas around them. I didn’t know if it was true or not, but the guys I skated with told me they were occupied by really rich people.

Sally was a nice looking girl, not very tall with long, straight brown hair. She had large breasts for her age – something which brought her a great deal of teasing by the guys in the gang. There was something wrong with one of Sally’s hips and she walked with a pronounced limp. Sally stood apart from the other girls in that she was one of only two girls in the gang who wasn’t a girlfriend of one of the gang members. She had a temper which would flash at the slightest provocation. She could curse and swear better than most of the guys. She would often get into intense, heated arguments with the guys, usually over things which didn’t matter and she had a reputation of being in some serious fights with girls outside the Duke’s gang. When she wasn’t arguing or yelling at something or someone, she was morosely quiet, stayed to herself and didn’t say much to anyone.

Sally came into the Sugar Bowl spouting and sputtering in anger, “These goddamned, smart-ass guys jumped me and my cousin over at Palmer Park a little while ago. There were three of the motherfuckers.”

Her blouse was dirty across the front, one of her buttons had been torn off and her face was so flushed she looked like she’d been holding her breath. “They started by just following us while we were walking and talking. They were making kissing noises and then they started asking us if we wanted to fuck them. One of the guys said if we didn’t want to fuck, he’d settle for a good blowjob.”

Sally stopped to catch her breath. She looked so angry it was hard to tell whether she was about to cry or get sick to her stomach. She continued through her clenched teeth, “We just kept ignoring them and walking faster. Then, when one of them started making cracks about the way I walk and calling me a gimp. I turned around and told him to go fuck himself.”

Bob Morton got up from one of the booths and came over to Sally. “Who were they? Did you know them?” he demanded in a tight, angry voice.

Sally was so angry it took all of her strength not to let the tears come. Her jaw was clenched so tight you could see it jumping on her cheeks. “No, but one of them had one of those red jackets with “Livernois” across the back like the Livernois gang wears.”

Livernois was the name of a street in Detroit that ran several blocks to the west of Palmer Park.

Sally went on. She was breathing so hard she was almost hyperventilating. “We had just reached the place where that parking area is behind one of the apartments. You know where I mean?” she asked.

Morton nodded.

“Right after I told them to fuck off, the guy with the red jacket grabbed me from behind, pushed me up against one of the parked cars, and started grabbing at my tits and crotch. The other two bastards grabbed my cousin and started to feel her up.”

Morton took Sally’s arm and led her over to one of the booths. She sat down and Morton slid in next to her. “Go on, Sally, then what happened?” Morton asked.

“I couldn’t turn around to knee the bastard in the nuts, so I got him a good hard jab in the mouth with my elbow. He let go of me, started to wipe blood from his lip with his fingers, looked at me like he was going to kill me, and backed away. At the same time, my cousin bit one of the guys in the lip when he was trying to kiss her.”

Sally got a smug smile on her face and was nodding her head up and down.

“That guy started screaming, ‘You rotten little bitch!’ Then both guys jumped back and put their fists up like they were going to start punching her out. So my cousin and me ran like hell towards some grown-ups walking in the park and the guys took off the other way. My cousin had her car there, and we came right here. She was scared and went home after she dropped me off. We gotta get those sons-a-bitches!”

“What did they look like?’ Morton asked.

“The one who grabbed me, the one with the red jacket, he had blond hair cut in a flat-top with a D.A. in back. He was skinny and a little taller than me. I didn’t get a good look at the other two. I know they both had long, dark hair, either brown or black with D.A.’s, and had on peg pants. The guy who grabbed me had on peg pants too and he had a long pocket chain. The other guys were both taller than my cousin.”

Morton probed for more information. “How old do you think they were?”

Sally closed her eyes and thought for a minute. “I don’t know—maybe fourteen or fifteen. I hope those motherfuckers have a short life!”

Morton looked over at Billy sitting in one of the booths by the window and motioned with his head for him to get up. I was sitting across from Billy drinking a chocolate coke.

“We need to go have a powwow,” Morton said. “Bring Van Buren and let’s go.”

Morton put his arm around Sally’s shoulders. “Sally, you stay here until we get back.”

Morton got up and looked around at the other guys, “The rest of you guys hang around and keep your eyes open in case any Livernois boys come around. Don’t leave Sally alone here.”

Sally went over and sat in one of the booths along the wall with a couple of the other Duchesses.

Billy motioned with his head to follow him and nodded towards Morton. We got up and followed him out the door.
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http://www.buddhistbelief.com
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