The Town Bully

Harry was a horrible person. That's not just my opinion, everyone that knew him said the same. None of us could find one redeeming quality in him.

Everyone in town knew who he was - a rude, hateful man that was better left alone. There were some of us that knew just how bad he was.

"He beats his wife and kids," Elaine said to me. We were at work at the convenience store at the southern end of town. Harry had just come in to pay for his gas and then left without a word.

"How do you know that?" I asked. She knew I hated gossip.

" Andy told me. He lives pretty close to them. He said one day one of the kids ran out of the house screaming with Harry right behind him with a belt. The SOB was cussing that kid and said if he didn't get his ass back in the house, he would beat him half to death."

"What happened then?" I asked, not sure I wanted to know.

"Andy said he didn't know because he had to go in and answer the phone. When he came back out there was no one in sight. He said any man that mean to his kids undoubtedly beats his wife."

"Some people around here have some pretty rough forms of discipline," I said.

"Yeah, but Harry's got a reputation for having a violent temper," she said as the bell over the door jangled. She put on her "can I help you?" smile and that was the end of the discussion about Harry.

I went home after work and fed my cat then stared into the refrigerator for something to eat. I decided I'd have a grilled cheese sandwich while I watched the news.

I couldn't help thinking about Harry's family. It must be hard to live with a man like that. How could his wife stand to see him mistreat the kids? Or herself for that matter.

I busied myself with a little housekeeping before I went to bed. I slept fitfully,waking up from dreams of children being beaten with a belt.

The next week was uneventful. Customers came and went. We didn't see Harry. In fact, nothing interesting at all happened in the whole town, which wasn't very big.

Then the day came that Andy came into the store with some news. He said someone from Children's Protective Services had been to Harry's house.

"What happened?" Elaine asked.

"I didn't even know anyone was there until I heard shouting," Andy said. "When I went out on the porch to see what was going on, Harry was yelling at a woman that he just dared her to try taking his kids. She looked scared to death and said she'd be back with the sheriff. Harry said he wasn't afraid of that faggot with a badge."

"Oh, my gosh! Do you think the sheriff will go out there?" I asked.

"He pretty much has to," Andy said. "I wouldn't want to be him when he does. Harry and the sheriff don't like each other. My dad said Harry was a bully way back in elementary school. Dad said Harry tried to push Larry around and Larry caught him off-guard and beat the shit out of him. I guess they had a few run-ins after that, too."

"How many kids does Harry and his wife have?" I asked.

"Four, I think. They are seldom outside. None of them go to school."

"How do they get away with that?"

"Well,who's going to tell Harry that he has to send them to school?" Elaine asked.

"It's just ridiculous that one man can do what he wants and get away with it just because he's mean. The man is dangerous," I said.

"Well, I'm going to get a six-pack of beer and go sit on my porch to watch if the sheriff comes," Andy said.

"Let us know," Elaine said as Andy left.

We didn't hear from Andy that night, but the next afternoon we heard sirens. Three police cars, an ambulance and a fire truck passed the store.

"Must be a fire or accident, or something," Elaine said sticking her head out the door to see if there was smoke anywhere. Accidents and fires were rare occurrences. It was the "or something" that peaked our curiosity.

I should mention that out little town was only a mile from the coast, but we never had tourists or any boats mooring off the shore. It was like no one wanted to come here.

Elaine called Andy to see if he knew what was going on but he didn't answer. We resigned ourselves to having to wait for someone to come in and tell us.

When Andy did come in he looked shaken up. He got him a cup of coffee and sat at one of the booths we had for coffee drinkers and bullshitters.

"What's wrong? Has something happened?" Elaine sat across from him with a worried look on her face.

"I'm not sure what's going on," he said. " First of all there was a boat moored in the cove.That's not happened in years. Then a smaller boat launched from that boat and came to shore."

"Wow,"I said, "that's really odd. Did anyone come ashore?"

"Yes, two men. They walked up to the road and just stopped, like they were waiting for someone. I sat on my porch and waited,too." He finished his coffee and I went to wait on a customer. When I returned he continued. "I guess you saw all the vehicles with sirens blaring," We nodded. "A lot happened all at once."

He got up to get another cup of coffee and grabbed a doughnut on his way back to the table. He took a sip of coffee then continued. "The cop cars came first. They pulled up right in front of Harry's house. Sheriff Cross called for Harry to come out. He did, with a shotgun in his hands. The sheriff told him to put the gun down, they just needed to talk. Harry said he'd just as soon hold on to it."

Andy took a bite of his doughnut and a drink of his coffee. The door jangled and Elaine went to ring up a customer's gas. Andy continued his story.

"The sheriff told him he was in violation of state law by not sending his kids to school and for threatening a state employee who was only trying to do her job. Harry crudely told him what he could do with his state laws. They were his kids and he'd do what he wanted with them.

"The sheriff said, You know better than that, Harry. You know I'm going to have to arrest you, don't you? Harry said, Like hell you are.

"The officers started toward him but spread out so if he was trying to shoot at one of them, the other two would have a clear shot." Another bite and another sip.

"I was watching all this and didn't notice the men from the boat were gone. I didn't see them anywhere. I looked back at Harry and the cops at the same time one of the men from the boat came up behind Harry and hit him on the head with something. It didn't knock him out but he dropped the shotgun.

"One of the cops grabbed the shotgun and got it out of Harry's reach. The man behind Harry was struggling to get him down. The sheriff stepped up and grabbed one of Harry's arms and slapped a handcuff on him. Then they got his other around and cuffed it,too. Harry fought them all the way to the way to the police car. The man from the boat went back inside the house.

"After they left with Harry I started looking around. I saw the men from the boat leading Harry's wife and kids to the boat. I watched as the boat reached the horizon. I don't know who they were or where they were going but I think she and the kids are safe now."

It was a few more days before we found out any more. Andy had gone to talk to the sheriff about what had happened and who the men were.

"He said they were state troopers who borrowed a boat from the Coast Guard. They planned the whole thing so they could get the wife and kids out of there and to a safe place."

"What are they going to do with Harry?" I asked.

"Child abuse and neglect to start with. And threatening a CPS worker and resisting arrest. There may be more after they talk to his wife."

"I hope those poor kids will be okay," Elaine said. Andy and I agreed.