For a Hero (3 page)

At that thought, a bustle of people shook the bus about as it slowed to a stop. Many strangers entered and among them, a man. It took Jenna a few seconds to realize what she was looking at. He was a REAL man. He must be 6’4” with shoulders as broad as a barn. A red t-shirt stretched across pecs and abs so perfectly defined that she had the urge to draw them. His jaw was herculean. His eyes were small, but wide and loving and a beautiful blue that could light up a darkened heart. She could see joy and love in them, as well as power and security. But there was something amiss about him. He looked angry. Jenna followed his gaze and found the source of his contempt. A slender little business man sat in the back of the bus talking on the phone. He was reclined and his possessions were so spread out that he was taking up three seats. There were women standing all around him, including one elderly lady. Wonder Boy there couldn’t be mad about not having a seat, could he? Was he angry that the other guy was not letting the women sit down?

Jenna shook her head and glanced at her hands folded in her lap. Probably not, that would be too good to be true. There were no men like that. Her excuse for a friend, Ben, was nice, but he would never become offended over the mistreatment of women, he was kind of a little bitch himself. Mr. McBride actually seemed like the kind of guy who would sit on the bus and take a lady’s spot. She must be mistaken. She must be reading the situation all wrong. The heroic looking man glaring at the little dweeb couldn’t be gorgeous AND sweet, could he?

Just then, a man behind Wonder Boy got up and moved toward the front of the bus. The handsome stranger tapped the elderly lady on the shoulder, stretched his arm toward the open seat and smiled. He guided her to the chair and eased her descent. After a pat, he returned to standing sentry over the asshole on the phone. Jenna wondered if he intended to say something when he hung up. She imagined his mom had taught him all of the manners.

Jenna watched him standing there with his arms crossed, and she realized something. She was attracted to him.  It was a feeling she had never felt before. Curiosity. About a man. She wanted to know more about him; she was drawn to him. Butterflies fluttered around inside her belly. She felt like a school girl. Is this what she had been missing out on? Stealing glances at him, Jenna felt sick with attraction, and giddy with emotion.

The bus slowed again and the doors folded open. People filed off onto the street. Asshole stood up, still talking on the phone. He tried to get by Wonder Boy but Gorgeous didn’t budge. He wouldn’t even allow him an inch. Jenna smiled to herself. Justice.

Unable to get off at the stop, the man realized that he had missed his destination. The bus continued its long journey south on Lamar.

“What the fuck was that about, Buddy?” The asshole sounded obstinate. The spoiled kind of rich kid. He was probably a legacy in a fraternity and his dad gave him everything he ever wanted. “You made me miss my fucking stop! I’m going to be late because of your dumb ass!”

“Sorry, Sir.” The sultry voice of her Wonder Boy filled the bus. “I didn’t see you there. If I had known you were there, surely I would have let you pass, but unfortunately, I was distracted by all the poor ladies on the bus that couldn’t sit down. You see, there was this asshole on the phone taking up 3 seats in the back.” A low level of applause and validation began to grow in the air around them.

“Why, you Son-of-a-Bitch.” The asshole leaned back and threw a hard right hook at the nose of Wonder Boy. Jenna watched the events unfold and could not believe what she saw. Her angel was five inches taller than the other guy, seventy pounds heavier, he could destroy him, but instead, he stepped to the side.

The punch skimmed harmlessly to the left of Wonder Boy’s face. He instantly curled his arm toward the flying fist, wrapping his fingers around the little man’s elbow. Within a second, he pulled, causing the speed and momentum of the asshole’s attack to bring his face down, introducing it quickly, and painfully, to the rubber floor of the bus. Blood erupted from his nostrils and cheers and laughter filled the vehicle.

The bus driver clicked on his intercom and said, “Hey Rocky, get up here. What the hell are you doing? Fighting on a bus? Shit.” Jenna’s heart was beating a mile a minute as her angel walked by her to the cockpit of the vehicle.

‘Funny,’ she thought. ‘He doesn’t look very remorseful. Wow, his ass fills those jeans nicely.’

The driver had Wonder Boy stand by the door, like he was in time-out, until he pulled in at the next bus stop. As the bus came to a complete stop and the doors opened, several of the people shambled outside. The bus began to empty and Jenna looked down. She didn’t want her angel to know she had been staring at him, and with nobody else on the bus, it would be hard for her to blend in. However, the few other passengers made it easier. As they stepped off the bus, they stopped by Wonder Boy, shook his hand, patted his back and said nice things like “thank you.”

After the last passenger had departed, the driver turned to the angel with the most disappointed glare. As his eyes settled on him, his solemn expression broke into a laugh. “Chief!! It’s you! Of course you did something like that, you big softie.”

“You haven’t been talking to Blaine again, have you?” The ‘Chief’ answered with a smile.

“No, that hyena only gets on the bus when he rides with you. He’s too important for us normal folk, you know.” ‘Chief’ patted the bus driver on the back.

“Yeah, I know. It’s good to see you, Charles. I need to get down to the fire station, though. I’ve got a brisket cooking for the boys tonight.”

“Chief, now don’t you know I’ve heard good things about that brisket of yours? You better get gone before I wise up and come with ya!”

“You are always welcome, Charles. Please come by. I’ll save you a slice or two.” And with a handshake, Jenna watched her angel fly away. She thought to herself that maybe she could fall in love with this town after all.

*****

“Hank, I told you EXACTLY how to prepare the meat.” David flipped the brisket in the smoker. The sizzle of the meat let him know the temperature was perfect.

“I didn’t think it mattered, Boss. You told me what to put on the meat and how much.” Hank spoke, half-listening. He leaned on the wall near David. Hank was a good man. He was kind of rambunctious and a little on the playful side of immature, but a good man. His eyes sparkled an emerald green when he smiled mischievously, as he so often did.

“Yes, Hank, and I also told you in what order you needed to put them on. You put the Tony’s first, then the granulated garlic, and THEN the black pepper. The pepper is strong, it needs to go last, and you ALWAYS rub the seasonings into the meat before you cook it.” David was the strong, silent father of the fire department. He didn’t come out of his shell too often unless he was teaching somebody something.

“Yes, Sir, Boss. I’ll do it better next time.” The canned response from Hank did not go unnoticed by David. But he was so jovial, so excited, that he couldn’t be angry at him.

Hank liked David. They weren’t super close; David was Hank’s boss, after all. There was a strong mutual respect; they both did their jobs well. David had an innate desire to rescue people and Hank was utterly fearless. They didn’t talk much, but the silence was filled with honor and knowing.

Hank had seen David be jovial before. When his friend came by, the one who wore black all the time, he was like a different man. A kid. Full of life and youth and vigor. How did they get that way? Hank wouldn’t mind connecting to someone like that. Scott was a nice kid, maybe he could hang out with him. He knew David had few friends but great ones. Hank had a million friends but none of them quite so great.

With a Fireman’s Four blonde ale turned up to his lips, Hank proclaimed, “No worries, Boss. It’ll be delicious. Lighten up! We heard you were going to be in the Fantasy Date and all your profits are coming to us! We should celebrate!”

David appreciated the zeal, but resented the reference. “I wish I could escape from that for just one night.”

“Why, Boss? You’re going to be a star!” Hank threw an arm around David’s neck.

“I wouldn’t be so sure of that, Hank.” A slithery voice hissed from the dining area. Alex stepped out toward the pair and David winced. He knew what was coming.

“Hi, David.” The temptress revealed herself next to Alex. Veronica, the bitch, cocked one hip to the side and judgment and hatred seeped through her gaze.

Hank had seen a lot of women in his day. He had become acquainted with quite a few, and they were all capable of spitting some poison. However, he had never seen someone seethe with disdain like Veronica did. It was somewhere between arrogance, malice and ignorance. Why on earth would she wish David ill? He was basically the best guy ever. As far as Hank knew, David didn’t drink, didn’t smoke, didn’t lie, hell, he didn’t even curse often. What could he possibly have done to warrant hatred?

“Alex,” David never stopped tending to the brisket. “Just wait at the dinner table with the fellas. I think the rolls are already done; go grab some. I’ll bring you some meat. We don’t have to cause a big scene here.”

“We’re off-duty, Conlon. I don’t have to follow your orders right now. Besides, I’m not going to cause a big scene. I just wanted to make sure that your little pal understands that you are not going to be such a big star tonight.”

“That’s fine, Alex. I don’t even want to go. It wouldn’t surprise me if nobody bids and I just go home. It would suit me just fine.”

Hank’s jaw dropped. Why is he just taking this? Is it because of the girl?

Veronica draped herself across Alex’s chest. “That’s right, Pervert. It wouldn’t surprise me either. I happen to know first-hand that you are nothing special. Just a big freak.” She grabbed Alex by the jaw and exchanged a long, gross, nasty, noisy French kiss with him.

David winced. His eyes closed. His lips pursed. He hurt. Hank could see it. Alex and Veronica couldn’t though. Thank God. Hank needed to do something.

“What the hell is your problem, Hooker? What did the Chief ever do to you?” After the words escaped his mouth, the thought crossed Hank’s mind that it might be the beer talking, and it might not have been such a great idea.

David turned and put a hand on Hank’s chest. “No, please. Just let it go”

Veronica slinked off of Alex. She put her index finger in Hank’s face and began waving it around in a little Z shape. “That man is a freak of nature. He tried to hurt me. I let him take me home out of the goodness of my heart, and that pervert tried to tear me in half. He is not normal. Not a man. He is some kind of monster.”

David hung his head and turned back to the meat. He tended to it as if nothing else mattered.

Hank took a sip of his beer and proclaimed, “Wow, Bitch. It sounds to me like you couldn’t handle his giant dick. Maybe that’s why you settled for “Below Average Alex” as the football team used to call him after seeing him in the locker room.”

David whipped around, knowing that Alex would try to escalate the conflict. He grabbed Hank by the shoulders, lifted him up and behind him. David caught a punch thrown by Alex and simply turned him the other direction. “Guys, the alcohol is getting you all worked up. Let’s just enjoy the BBQ and not worry about this anymore.”

Veronica reached to hold Alex’s hand, whose pride was visibly damaged. She whispered consolation into his ear, “Don’t worry, Honey, you are proportional.” They walked out of the main door.

Hank looked at David, “I guess they aren’t in the mood for brisket. Ehh. It’s probably for the best anyway. This brisket has got to be at least fourteen inches long and I don’t think Veronica can handle more than four inches of meat.”

David’s solemn expression broke into laughter. The guys high-fived. David spoke. “You know, you didn’t have to do that. But, I appreciate it.”

“It was my pleasure, Boss. I mean, you did bring this HUGE piece of meat here tonight for all of us to enjoy.”

“Alright, Hank. That’s enough.”

*****

Jenna sat across the table from her new friend, Miranda. They had some things in common, Jenna admitted, much more than any girl she had tried to befriend before. It was still strained, but she was committed to trying. This is a new town. She could be a new person. She could have a girl-friend; she could ride the bus; hell, she could even be wildly attracted to a strange man. Wow, how quickly things changed.

Halcyon was a relaxed place. Like the name implied, its environment encouraged comfort and plenty. It was known as a coffee bar, but what the locals bragged about, and the reason Miranda invited Jenna to Halcyon for the evening, were the s’mores. When ordered, they would bring you your own personal fire, with graham crackers, marshmallows, Hershey’s chocolate bars and little skewers to roast your decadent treat to perfection.

“So, how was the first day?” Miranda was Hispanic, shorter than Jenna, with a more solid build. She wasn’t nearly as driven. Jenna noticed Miranda texting a lot during work and playing with her hair. She was really friendly to her, so none of that mattered.

“It was ok. It will be hard to make the transition, I think. I was really close to a promotion in the Dallas office, but my boss was a prick so here I am.”

Miranda sipped her drink and looked down.

Jenna continued speaking, “No, Miranda. I am happy to be here. You are great. The job will be great. I am grateful, it’s just hard to get used to the change, a new direction, you know?”

“No, I understand. Don’t worry about it. Tell me again about this miracle man you saw on the bus today.” Miranda leaned forward, scooting the fire pit and s’mores to one side.

‘Oh boy, girl talk,’ Jenna thought. ‘Let’s see if I know how to do this.’ “He was gorgeous. He looked like an angel, like no man I had ever seen before. He was hugely tall; he had muscles from here to Houston and the best part of all: he was NICE.”

“How do you know he’s nice?”

“He beat up this asshole on the bus.”

Miranda almost spit out her drink. “Ha! Is that your idea of nice? I’d hate to see what your Christmas dinners are like.”