America 1982-Chapter 32: I Have an Idea

Under the setting sun, the neatly trimmed lawn was dyed a dim yellow, a pair of shoes covered with mud, and Tony, his face weary, sat on the steps in front of his house, holding a cigarette, his gaze blankly fixed on the family mailbox by the street.

His girlfriend, Ashley, sat beside him, gently resting her head on Tony’s shoulder, taking his arm and making Tony hold her in his embrace.

This was the sight that Tommy Hawk, having finished his part-time job at the dock, returned to after being away from home for two months. Although the scene was bathed in warm tones, the expressions of the two didn’t capture the warmth and romance that should have been present; instead, there was a hint of sorrow.

"What’s happened?" Tommy Hawk’s heart tightened slightly, and he asked instinctively.

Hearing Tommy Hawk’s voice, Tony’s eyes moved, looking towards his brother at the curb, his forlorn expression giving way to a smile, "Why are you back? Is the Soviet Union suddenly attacking the United States, and you’ve come to pack your bags and tell us to flee together, Tommy?"

Tommy didn’t answer, but asked again, "What’s happened?"

"Mr. Thomas killed his dog that he’d been raising for years, then put a hunting rifle under his chin and pulled the trigger," Ashley said somberly beside him. "Tony just went to help dig a grave for Mr. Thomas at the cemetery."

Tommy Hawk let out a heavy sigh, and upon seeing this action, both Tony and Ashley looked over with peculiar looks in their eyes.

"With the looks on your faces just now, I thought it was our dad who had blasted Mr. Thomas with a hunting rifle," Tommy confessed to them after learning the truth.

Tommy Hawk was familiar with the name Mr. Thomas, a neighbor on the same street, a pitiful lower-class unemployed man whose experiences were even more miserable than the Hawk family’s.

Thomas had a back injury, but it was not classified as a work injury, so he received no compensation or benefits. After losing his job, the injury prevented him from even considering manual labor for part-time work to earn money. His wife and child simply left him, leaving him only a hunting dog to accompany him in his spacious, dilapidated room. Years of loneliness made him eccentric, quick-tempered, and an alcoholic. Hearing of this man’s death, Tommy’s first thought was that he had been released.

"Dad said that the hunting dog is a real pity," Tony said, lifting his head to Tommy Hawk.

Tommy Hawk shrugged his shoulders and walked over to Tony. Ashley kissed Tony on the cheek and stood up from the steps, "I’ll go get something for you and Tommy to drink."

After that, she went inside, leaving the space to the two brothers.

"Thank you, Ashley," Tommy Hawk sat down beside Tony, and together they looked towards that family mailbox.

Tony, however, fixed his gaze on his brother’s profile, "Aren’t you supposed to be studying hard for college entrance exams?"

Tommy and Tony looked at each other, and Tommy began, "Remember I told you that I want to bring Bessie home before I go to college? I have a plan."

Then, as Tony looked on, stunned, Tommy shared his plan of selling cigarettes to Canada.

After Tommy Hawk finished speaking, Tony shook his head and said, "Brother, you could borrow forty thousand from Aunt Melanie? Goodness... I never thought Aunt Melanie would trust someone from the Hawk family so much. What’s your purpose in telling me this now? You want my help?"

"Of course, but you can’t tell Dad. Dad’s a big drinker and can’t keep his mouth shut; if you tell him, the whole of Warwick City will know about it. I can’t do it alone. Aunt Melanie is a woman, and she can’t do some things on her own. I need your help," Tommy Hawk said earnestly to Tony.

Tony frowned: "I don’t know if I should help you, Tommy. It’s not that I don’t want to, but... I need to think about it. I’m still confused by what I’ve heard. Simply put, what do you need me to do?"

"Either you go to Yarmouth and find a buyer in the manner I’ve described to you, or stay in Warwick, and when I call from Yarmouth, pilot a fishing boat to the processing ship to transport the goods. I originally wanted to keep this matter controlled with only Aunt Melanie and me knowing, but I found that Aunt Melanie is too nervous. She’s a good person but has never done anything like this; her head is full of gang wars and cops-and-robbers chases. In this state, she can’t possibly accomplish anything alone, whether staying in Yarmouth or going out to sea. Lately, she’s taken on the role of my guardian and refuses to let me go to Yarmouth alone," Tommy Hawk said as he took out a cigarette and offered one to Tony, almost laughing and crying at the same time.

Tony hesitated for a moment before taking the cigarette: "I need to think about it. I mean it, Tommy. I need to consider it. When are you planning to do this?"

"Get it done before Mother’s Day," Tommy Hawk replied as he lit his lighter, the flame rising between the two brothers.

Tony nodded thoughtfully and then leaned in with Tommy to light his cigarette. As he exhaled a puff of smoke, he said to Tommy, "Brother, I always thought you were nothing but a selfish jerk, but now, whether you make money or not, I take that back. Let me think about it and I’ll tell you the answer tonight."

Not long after Tommy Hawk returned to his apartment, he received a call from Tony, who agreed to go to Yarmouth. Tommy gave him the number of the Italian guide he had gotten from the Fraternity. He instructed Tony to remember to identify himself as per his instructions when he was received by the contact in Yarmouth to make it easier to find a buyer. He would wait for Tony’s call, then go with the cash to the processing ship to pick up the goods and head north. If everything went smoothly, from setting sail to completing the transaction and safely returning home, it would take nineteen hours.

"You’ve told Tony everything." Melanie heard what Tommy was saying on the phone and spoke up after he hung up.

Tommy looked at Melanie and nodded: "You’re not quite cut out for this kind of thing, Aunt Melanie."

"From the moment I insisted on accompanying you to Portland?" Melanie furrowed her brow. "I’m just worried about you." 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

"I know, but there’s no need to worry now. The dangerous job of dealing with smugglers, which you imagine, I have handed over to my adult brother to handle. You know Tony, he’s reliable," Tommy Hawk told Melanie.

Melanie’s face tensed: "Though I am relieved not to have to deal with bad people anymore, I still have to say that your actions are hurtful, Tommy Hawk. You don’t trust me enough. To be frank, I almost went to a gun shop to learn shooting to accompany you to meet the smugglers in Portland."

"I just wanted to be extra cautious, and the persona you’re showing to the outside world right now clearly wishes everyone knew you had changed from a substitute teacher into one of Charlie’s Angels." Tommy poured a cup of coffee and handed it to Melanie:

"I know this decision disappoints you, but don’t worry, I have another job for you, and right now, you are the one I can rely on, as I can’t be involved in it myself. It has to rely entirely on you, Aunt Melanie. Does that make you feel any better?"

Melanie took the coffee and said calmly to Tommy Hawk, "Maybe. But you better not just be patronizing me, Tommy."

"Remember how I said we’d have to pay taxes if we made money? I have an idea," Tommy said to Melanie.