COMPASSION

Chapter 38

The Box

Joe is in his bed trying to remember a bizarre dream he had about two monks. He rises from his bed and sees it is 5:15 PM Saturday afternoon. It is March and it is bitter cold outside. He can hear the TV playing downstairs so he knows Tommy is downstairs and has not gone out yet. He gets out of his bed and goes over to the drywall panel in his ceiling and reaches up in the attic under the insulation for his typed journal Titled Compassion. He pats around and can’t find it. He gets his chair and stands up on it and looks into the attic. To his horror, he sees his journal is gone and his classic Playboy Magazine is missing.  He goes downstairs and asks Tommy if he has taken any books from his room.
 
Tommy replies, “They are outside in the burn barrel. Joe walks to the rear door and sees his Playboy Magazines and his typed Manuscript titled Compassion in the barrel burning. Joe opens the door and walks to the barrel and sees his burnt manuscript.

He is filled with Rage and Vengeance and walks back into the house and tries to imagine what it would be like to kill his brother. He goes into the cellar and picks up a shovel and walks back upstairs and over to his Brother and Tommy is laughing at Joe.
 
Tommy tells Joe, “Go ahead you little faggot. I read what you wrote about me. I will give you one swing then it will be my turn.” Joe crashes the shovel into Tommy's head and it has split it in half. The blood spatter is on Joe’s face.
 
We now see Joe at the barrel dropping his manuscript back in the barrel. He walks back into the house and asks Tommy, “Why did you burn my journal?”
 
“Because I read it and you wrote about me without my permission. You can write anything you want. That is what faggots do they write shit down in journals.”

Joe asks Tommy, “Why do you call me a faggot?”
 
Tommy tells Joe, “Listen I am going out now. You make sure all the doors are locked. I don’t want anyone coming into this house when I am gone. I told you they are trying to steal the German Coin Ma gave me. They want the coin and the Vial of Poison Ma took to kill herself. How many times do I have to tell you this? You know they are coming. You know they are trying to get in here. That is why I call you a Faggot because you don’t Fucking Listen! Now shut the Fuck Up and do your job and stop asking me questions! One more thing…Stop Fucking Writing!”
 
Tom leaves the house and Joe can now start writing his story again.  He now changes the name of his screenplay from Mama’s Boy to Compassion. He puts all his writing notes from the first draft and all his new written pages in his Oldsmobile Car Trunk where Tommy cannot get at it.
 
Joe spends the next four weekends rewriting his screenplay at the Wilkes College Library. He is now ready to have Roberta type his second draft and she completes it in a week.
 
Roberta asks, “What happened to the first draft I typed?”
 
Joe replies, “My Brother burnt it?”
 
Roberta laughs out loud but see’s Joe’s expression and stops.
 
She tells Joe, “Make sure he doesn’t find this copy. What are you going to do with it?”
 
Joe replies, “I started to cast my Movie and I think Esther Williams would make a perfect Catherine Havard.”
 
Roberta replies, “You mean the swimmer? Is she still alive?”
 
Joe comments, “I think she is. I am going to the Library and get her address.”
 
Roberta advises Joe, “When you mail something like this to Hollywood you are supposed to send it to their Literary Agent.”
 
Joe asks, “What is a Literary Agent?”
 
Roberta replies, “I think there is all kind of agents in Hollywood. It depends on what you are selling. You should ask them at the Library who you can send your screenplay to.”
 
Joe replies, “Thanks, I will.”
 
Saturday rolls around and Joe approaches the Librarian in the Periodical Department. “Excuse me, where do you get addresses of famous people in Hollywood.”
 
The Librarian points to the row of books next to the Encyclopedia and whispers, “ the Third row up from the floor. The Green Book Titled Celebrity Addresses.”
 
Joe goes over to the book and pulls it from the shelf and takes a seat at the table. He opens it to W section and looks for Esther Williams. He comes to her address and writes it down. He puts the book back on the shelf. Joe goes outside to his car and opens the trunk and picks up his mailing envelope and stamps and returns to the Library Table. He places one of his four copies inside the manilla envelope and puts Ten Dollars worth of stamps on the outside. He writes a hand written letter to Miss Esther Williams.
 
“Dear Miss Williams you don’t know me and I am not in the business but I have written a Supernatural Love Story Titled Compassion. I think you would be perfect for the part of Catherine Havard. You look a little bit like her. The Other main character is Dr. Parmo who I think Johnny Carson would be perfect as a Dentist. I see Mr. Carson has retired from his nightly show so I have not sent him the screenplay. If you have any interest in this project please use the SASE and return to me with your contact information. Thank You.”
 
Joe puts his letter of introduction with his address inside the envelope and leaves the Library. Next, to the book drop box is a mailbox. Joe opens the mailbox kisses his envelope and drops it in the box. Joe heads home thinking it won’t be long before Hollywood calls him.
 
Tom and Catherine are sitting at their kitchen table. Tom is smoking his unfiltered Pall Mall and Catherine is smoking her More 100’s cigarette.
 
Tom sits back in his chair and turns to his wife, “Something is wrong. Something is terribly wrong.”
 
Catherine asks, “What!”
 
Tom replies, “I have been thinking about this since I died. Actually, this started when Billy died. We got in a lot of bar fights before we joined the service. We got into bar fights when we were in the service. We got in bar fights after the service. It was no big deal. You threw a couple of punches you win some you lose some. What those three guys did to Billy was send all of us a message. Then they butchered him. I remember I just got home from work.
 
It is March 1948 we know see a younger Tom Havard before his marriage to Catherine. He is single and still living with Elizabeth his Mother. One day a package arrives at the front door. The door bell rings.
 
Tom sitting on the couch tells his Mother, “I will go see what it is.”
 
Elizabeth replies, “Sit down and rest you had a hard day at work.”
Elizabeth opens the front door and sees a brown cardboard box on her porch. Elizabeth asks her son, “Are you expecting any packages?”
 
Tom replies, “No. Who shipped it here?”
 
Elizabeth picks up the package and tells Tom, “There is no label on the box who shipped it. It is addressed to MOM Main Street, Plains, PA.”
 
Elizabeth brings the box inside and puts it on her dining room table. She gets a knife and opens the top. Tom walks over and looks at the box. Elizabeth opens the box and sees Billy’s head inside and screams. She falls down to a chair and pulls her rosary out and starts praying. Tom closes the box and starts to weep. He tries to pray but can’t.
 
We know to move to present day and Tom and Catherine are still discussing Billy’s death. Tom comments, “I asked Billy a thousand times did you know those guys? Did you ever see them before? He thought the guy was joking when he said he would knock his head off. He swears he does not know the men who killed him or why they did what they did. He did say they all had funny eyes.”
 
Catherine asks, “What do funny eyes mean?”
 
Tom replies, “He told me he thinks they were Demons or some kind of Evil Energy. Then when I died I am greeted by the Devil who tells me he is going to destroy what I love. Now you die and a crazy woman shows up in your house and while I am embalming you and she tells me she is Lilith the Devil’s Mother. Why is this Evil coming after our family? We are just a normal average family. Why are these Demons attacking the Havard Family?”
 
Catherine tells Tom, “Now Tommy is gone insane and Joe is lost. I wanted to have both of them married before I died. Most Men don’t realize a Wife protects her Husband from Evil. Mike is the only one Evil can’t harm him because he is married to Donna and she will protect him before all Evil reaches Mike.”
 
Tom tells Catherine, “So it seems the Devil wants to destroy Tommy and Joe. If he can get either brother to kill the other he will get their soul. If you commit Murder or Suicide you automatically give your Soul to the Devil.”
 
Catherine asks Tom, “Didn’t you kill Hiko?”
 
Tom replies, “I killed Hiko but I did not murder him. For it to be murder it has to be unlawful. As strange as it sounds killing the enemy is lawful and not considered murder. I asked Billy to keep an eye on Tommy to make sure his anger toward Joe doesn’t get out of hand. Billy will possess Tommy if he needs to to get him to calm down.”
 
Catherine tells Tom, “Maybe this writing hobby of Joe’s will calm him down so he can get these thoughts out of his head. It is too bad it didn’t work out with that girl from the dental office.”
 
Tom replies, “There is something strange about that girl. She almost seems dead inside. She might be suffering from depression over Dr. Parmo’s death and not realize it.”
 
Catherine comments, “I wish Joe did not send that story to Esther Williams. If she ever gets it and reads it she will call the Police and have him locked up.”
 
Tom replies, “The chances of that ever getting to her are a million to one. Even if it does her staff will see what it is and throw it in the trash. You are not supposed to contact Hollywood people like that. You are to contact a Literary Agent.