Tell the Truth and Shame The Devil

When you’re fifteen-years old, you don’t always make the right decisions. You may think you know everything, but you don’t. You may also get involved in something that you wish you never had. The incident could be the turning point of your life—in a good way, or a bad way.

I made the mistake of going along with the crowd. It could have been a decision that cost me my freedom – and cost someone else their life.

Lauretta and I were in ....West Memphis.... hanging out at the game room. It was pretty much the only place we went unless we were at her older boyfriend James’s place. She was mad at James so we just hung out at the game room to pass the time.

I was playing Ms. PacMan and Galagia, two of my favorite video games. PacMan was okay too. We’d play game after game. There were usually some guys up there who would be nice enough to just give us quarters to play the games. They weren’t trying to be perverts or anything either.

There was an older gentleman who came to the game room all the time. His name was Mr. Henry. They men in there would play cards, pool games, etc. Mr. Henry was one of them. When he got drunk, he’d get loud and start talking about how much money he had. Sometimes, he’d even take it out and flash it. I didn’t make anything of it. It was just an old drunk man trying to impress folk.

One night two guys came into the game room. I’d seen them before when I was still a student. I didn’t really care for them. They just gave me a bad vibe.

They went over to talk to Lauretta while I continued to play the games. Not long after they left, Lauretta came over to me and said, “I’m going to try to get some money from Mr. Henry.” Of course my face screwed up like, “Yuck!” He was old and withered.

“What you gonna do?”

“I’m going to make him think that I’m going home with him.”

“I don’t know-“

“Come on. I’m not going to do anything, just make him think I am.”

“Alright. If you say so.” I reluctantly followed her outside.

Outside, I saw the boys who had been talking to her earlier. The older one said to her,

“This is what I want you to do. You’re just going to lead him down the street. Hug up to him and just sweet talk him. Keep him distracted.”

I didn’t like the sound of this. To me it sounded like they planned to do something to Mr. Henry and he was just an innocent old man.

“I’m going to run up behind him and put him in a headlock. My partner is going to get the money out of his pocket. We’re going to run off. It’s just that simple.”

Now, I really didn’t like the sound of it. I wanted no part of it. I told Lauretta that I didn’t want to do it. I didn’t want to go along with them robbing Mr. Henry.

“He’s an old man. What you worried ‘bout him for?” The older guy snarled. “He got plenty of money. He shouldn’t be flashing it.”

“So, that’s all y’all gonna do right? Just put him in a headlock and get his money? Y’all not gonna hurt Mr. Henry are you?” Lauretta asked.

“We said we ain’t gonna hurt the old me. So, you gonna do it?”

“I don’t know-” Now Lauretta was unsure too.

“Whatever we get, we’ll give you half. I know he got a lot of money,” the guy convinced.

I just shook my head. Lauretta seemed to think about it.

“So, all I have to do is lead him down the street?”

“Yep.”

“Okay. I’ll do it.” My heart sunk.

“Go inside and get him to come out. He kinda drunk, so this will be easy.”

I waited until she came back out with Mr. Henry. I was praying that he wouldn’t fall for it, but unfortunately he did.

I looked at the guys. They seemed creepy. Both of them looked high. I saw the guy who was supposed to just take the money and run, pick up a beer bottle. He walked off down the street.

The plan was underway. It didn’t take much convincing to get Mr. Henry to walk with us down the street. As the guy had instructed, Lauretta walked close to him, hugging him. They were talking. Meanwhile, I’m walking a little behind them, nervous as hell.  I just want to go home.

The street is so dark and it’s eerily quiet. All of a sudden we hear footsteps pounding the concrete. Just as he said, he ran up behind Mr. Henry and grabbed him in a headlock. But, the other guy rushed up and hit Mr. Henry in the side of the head with the beer bottle.

I was stunned. It seemed like it all happened in slow motion. Mr. Henry fell in the street with a loud thud. Lauretta screamed. I was frozen in place. The guys quickly checked Mr. Henry’s pockets and ran off, leaving us there. Mr. Henry was lying in the street. We didn’t know whether he was dead or alive. Both of us were speechless, looking at each other like, “What the fuck have we gotten ourselves into?”

Reality kicked in and we took off running. By now, I was crying so hard that I could barely breathe.

“This wasn’t supposed to happen,” Lauretta panted as we ran. “They lied. Mr. Henry wasn’t supposed to get hurt. They lied.”

To say that I was scared would be putting it mildly. I was petrified. I thought for sure that Mr. Henry was dead and instead of heading back to ....Florida...., I’d be heading to prison. We quickly hitch-hiked a ride back to Shady Grove and literally hid out.

Thank God we got word that Mr. Henry lived. He spent a few days at the hospital, but he was alright. No one was ever connected to any crime. They just assumed that Mr. Henry was so drunk that he fell in the street and hit his head. I knew better and so did my friend.

I never did go back to ....West Memphis.... to hang out at the game room after that. It wasn’t long before Lauretta went to job corps and I came back to ....Florida.....

It’s said that God looks out for babies and fools. I guess at fifteen, I was a little bit of both. I thank God that a stupid decision didn’t cause someone their life. That experience changed me for the better. I became my own person and didn’t follow after anyone. As a matter of fact, I pretty much kept to myself.

My truth today: I always wonder what would have happened had I just said, “No.”

****I’m not really sure what I’m going to do with Tell the Truth and Shame the Devil. It’s not really a book, just incidents that happened in my life.