Ten Years After
Posted: Mon Dec 28, 2009 11:40 pm
SUMMER 1989, CONEY ISLAND, BROOKLYN
"Man, I haven?t been here since... since forever, it seems," Swan thought to himself as he wandered down a deserted early-morning Mermaid Avenue ? his old neighborhood. It had been a lifetime since he had been here ? almost ten years since he and Mercy had left New York for the west coast ? and about one year since they had divorced. One day, when Swan arrived at home after work, Mercy had met him at the door and said she was leaving him for someone else ? that she was tired of being alone even when the two of them were together. There had been no court battle, and they had never had children. They simply both had signed the papers and parted, the last they would see of each other.
Now Swan was back once again in Coney. Snow, still living in Coney, had contacted all of them ? every one of the Warriors who had been at the conclave. Except, of course, for Cleon and The Fox. They hadn't made it home that night. Everyone had hoped that Cleon and The Fox had only been arrested, like Ajax had, but that was unfortunately not the case: Cleon had suffered a fatal beatdown at the hands of the Gramercy Riffs after having been falsely accused of shooting Cyrus, and The Fox had somehow fallen onto the subway tracks and was hit by a train when the Warriors had separated while fleeing the police at 96th Street.
That was kind of the reason Snow had called everyone. Today was the ten-year anniversary of that terrible night, and he had called everyone for a "reunion" of sorts ? to remember who they once were, and to honor Cleon and The Fox, that they would not be forgotten. Swan had been hesitant, remembering why he had left the city in the first place, but now divorced, remembered how when he saw the Atlantic Ocean, he was home.
"Might as well come back," he thought, as he turned a corner, now on the boardwalk. Off in the distance, near what had been an arcade, he saw a familiar face. A little older now, a little heavier, but with a grin you couldn't forget. It was Vermin. Swan and Vermin both grinned widely, and quickened their approach.
"Hey War Chief!" Vermin greeted him, as the two first shook hands, and then embraced as brothers. "Man, it's been a long time! How you been?"
"The only thing I know how to do is to keep on keepin' on," Swan smiled wryly, quoting Bob Dylan's "Tangled Up in Blue" ? a song that seemed to reflect the last decade of his life. "How are you, Vermin?"
"I'm doing okay. I'm over in Queens now, working in a tire shop. Not a bad gig."
"You still chasing the ladies around?"
"No," Vermin laughed. "I settled down a while ago. Been married about five years. Got a three-year-old girl, Alyssa. Sorry to hear about you and Mercy, by the way. Snow told me you two split up."
Swan shrugged, without a response. It wasn't that it bothered him to talk about it, he just didn't think there was anything to say ? and Vermin knew him well enough to leave it alone. The two of them walked along the boardwalk, reminiscing about the old times in The Warriors.
"You know if Snow got a hold of everyone?" Swan asked.
"I think so," Vermin said. "Everyone's supposed to make it." He looked at his watch. "Let's see if anyone's at Nathan's yet."
Swan smiled. "I haven't had a dog at Nathan's in years, man. They opened a few of them in California a few years ago, but it wasn't the same thing. I only went there once."
"Coney's the one and only," Vermin wisecracked.
The two of them turned a corner, following the street. A bunch of people, tourists mostly, started pouring out of Stillwell Station ? probably to visit Coney. Two of them at the rear of the crowd crossed toward Swan and Vermin. There was no mistaking Cowboy's Stetson, and Rembrandt was with him. As the four of them met, Snow walked out of Nathan's ? and then there were five.
Although they hadn't all been together since the night of the conclave, it was almost as if the past decade had never happened. They connected as they always had ? as brothers. Although they had gathered to remember their fallen brethren, at the moment it was a time of joy and nostalgia. Now in their thirties ? except Rembrandt, who was only twenty-five ? their lives were much different than when they had been Warriors. Snow was now a guidance counselor who worked to help kids get out of gangs ? especially since in the past few years, crack cocaine and guns had seemed to replace beer and blades. Cowboy was still a cowboy, and also worked with troubled youth on a ranch just outside of Albany. Rembrandt was a middle school art teacher in The Bronx ? coincidentally, about two blocks away from Van Courtland Park. Vermin was working in a tire shop in Queens, and Swan was hoping to find work as a warehouse forklift operator.
Swan turned to Snow. "So where's Ajax and Cochise?"
Snow smiled slyly. "You'd never believe me if I told you."
At that moment, a police cruiser passed them, only to whip around and return, lights flashing and siren blaring. "Okay ladies, break it up," a voice boomed over the microphone. The doors opened ? and out stepped Ajax and Cochise ? in uniform!
Swan looked Ajax up and down. They hadn't seen each other since just before Ajax had been arrested the night of the conclave, and the tension was as thick as the humid summer air. "I guess Snow and Cowboy weren't kidding when they said the cops got you," Swan smiled.
Ajax cracked a slight smile too. "You got that right, War Chief. I did six months in Riker's for assault after I punched that cop when that lady set me up. Only reason I didn't do more time was my lawyer said I was set up. I come back here after I got out, and find out the rest of you had already split, and The Warriors weren't the same. Found out Cleon and The Fox were gone, and decided I didn't want that for me ? so Cochise and I joined the force. Plus, I still get to waste a few heads now and then, and now I can get away with it."
"Apparently some things never change," Swan thought to himself.
"Well, should we do what we came here for?" Snow asked soberly, changing to a more serious tone. "It's time." The seven of them slowly made their way to the ocean. As the waves crashed along the shore, Snow reached into his satchel and pulled out two metal containers ? the remains of Cleon and The Fox.
"You all know why we're here," he eulogized. "We're the only family Cleon and The Fox ever had, and the ocean was always home to them and to us. It's been ten years, and the first time all of us have been together since that night. They would have both wanted us to wait ? now the time for waiting is done. Let's send them home."
None of the seven men on the beach would look each other in the eye. They had been hard soldiers, but when it came to losing one of their own, they had soft hearts. Ten years hadn't lessened the pain of that.
"Cleon ? you were our leader, and a solid War Lord. We're all here, brother. It's time to go home." He sprinkled Cleon's ashes into the Atlantic and let the waves carry him away. Opening the other urn, he paused, and then spoke again.
"Fox ? you were a great solider and scout, and of course, our brother. You were our eyes and ears, and helped to get us home. Now it's time for you to go home. Peace." And with that, he poured The Fox's ashes into the ocean behind Cleon's.
A few moments passed before anyone spoke. Cochise broke the silence. "So what do we do now, man?"
Vermin answered. "I gotta go home. I promised to take my kid to her first Mets game."
Vermin was right. It was time to go home. Little by little, they disappeared from the beach until only Swan remained, watching the waves. A decade ago, he had told Luther that when the Warriors saw the ocean they were home. He hadn't changed his mind about that ? Coney was, and always would be home to Swan. He hadn't yet found a job, or even a place to stay ? but he could do that tomorrow. Right now, he simply sat on the sand and watched the waves crash onto the shore. He was home again after all these years.
"Man, I haven?t been here since... since forever, it seems," Swan thought to himself as he wandered down a deserted early-morning Mermaid Avenue ? his old neighborhood. It had been a lifetime since he had been here ? almost ten years since he and Mercy had left New York for the west coast ? and about one year since they had divorced. One day, when Swan arrived at home after work, Mercy had met him at the door and said she was leaving him for someone else ? that she was tired of being alone even when the two of them were together. There had been no court battle, and they had never had children. They simply both had signed the papers and parted, the last they would see of each other.
Now Swan was back once again in Coney. Snow, still living in Coney, had contacted all of them ? every one of the Warriors who had been at the conclave. Except, of course, for Cleon and The Fox. They hadn't made it home that night. Everyone had hoped that Cleon and The Fox had only been arrested, like Ajax had, but that was unfortunately not the case: Cleon had suffered a fatal beatdown at the hands of the Gramercy Riffs after having been falsely accused of shooting Cyrus, and The Fox had somehow fallen onto the subway tracks and was hit by a train when the Warriors had separated while fleeing the police at 96th Street.
That was kind of the reason Snow had called everyone. Today was the ten-year anniversary of that terrible night, and he had called everyone for a "reunion" of sorts ? to remember who they once were, and to honor Cleon and The Fox, that they would not be forgotten. Swan had been hesitant, remembering why he had left the city in the first place, but now divorced, remembered how when he saw the Atlantic Ocean, he was home.
"Might as well come back," he thought, as he turned a corner, now on the boardwalk. Off in the distance, near what had been an arcade, he saw a familiar face. A little older now, a little heavier, but with a grin you couldn't forget. It was Vermin. Swan and Vermin both grinned widely, and quickened their approach.
"Hey War Chief!" Vermin greeted him, as the two first shook hands, and then embraced as brothers. "Man, it's been a long time! How you been?"
"The only thing I know how to do is to keep on keepin' on," Swan smiled wryly, quoting Bob Dylan's "Tangled Up in Blue" ? a song that seemed to reflect the last decade of his life. "How are you, Vermin?"
"I'm doing okay. I'm over in Queens now, working in a tire shop. Not a bad gig."
"You still chasing the ladies around?"
"No," Vermin laughed. "I settled down a while ago. Been married about five years. Got a three-year-old girl, Alyssa. Sorry to hear about you and Mercy, by the way. Snow told me you two split up."
Swan shrugged, without a response. It wasn't that it bothered him to talk about it, he just didn't think there was anything to say ? and Vermin knew him well enough to leave it alone. The two of them walked along the boardwalk, reminiscing about the old times in The Warriors.
"You know if Snow got a hold of everyone?" Swan asked.
"I think so," Vermin said. "Everyone's supposed to make it." He looked at his watch. "Let's see if anyone's at Nathan's yet."
Swan smiled. "I haven't had a dog at Nathan's in years, man. They opened a few of them in California a few years ago, but it wasn't the same thing. I only went there once."
"Coney's the one and only," Vermin wisecracked.
The two of them turned a corner, following the street. A bunch of people, tourists mostly, started pouring out of Stillwell Station ? probably to visit Coney. Two of them at the rear of the crowd crossed toward Swan and Vermin. There was no mistaking Cowboy's Stetson, and Rembrandt was with him. As the four of them met, Snow walked out of Nathan's ? and then there were five.
Although they hadn't all been together since the night of the conclave, it was almost as if the past decade had never happened. They connected as they always had ? as brothers. Although they had gathered to remember their fallen brethren, at the moment it was a time of joy and nostalgia. Now in their thirties ? except Rembrandt, who was only twenty-five ? their lives were much different than when they had been Warriors. Snow was now a guidance counselor who worked to help kids get out of gangs ? especially since in the past few years, crack cocaine and guns had seemed to replace beer and blades. Cowboy was still a cowboy, and also worked with troubled youth on a ranch just outside of Albany. Rembrandt was a middle school art teacher in The Bronx ? coincidentally, about two blocks away from Van Courtland Park. Vermin was working in a tire shop in Queens, and Swan was hoping to find work as a warehouse forklift operator.
Swan turned to Snow. "So where's Ajax and Cochise?"
Snow smiled slyly. "You'd never believe me if I told you."
At that moment, a police cruiser passed them, only to whip around and return, lights flashing and siren blaring. "Okay ladies, break it up," a voice boomed over the microphone. The doors opened ? and out stepped Ajax and Cochise ? in uniform!
Swan looked Ajax up and down. They hadn't seen each other since just before Ajax had been arrested the night of the conclave, and the tension was as thick as the humid summer air. "I guess Snow and Cowboy weren't kidding when they said the cops got you," Swan smiled.
Ajax cracked a slight smile too. "You got that right, War Chief. I did six months in Riker's for assault after I punched that cop when that lady set me up. Only reason I didn't do more time was my lawyer said I was set up. I come back here after I got out, and find out the rest of you had already split, and The Warriors weren't the same. Found out Cleon and The Fox were gone, and decided I didn't want that for me ? so Cochise and I joined the force. Plus, I still get to waste a few heads now and then, and now I can get away with it."
"Apparently some things never change," Swan thought to himself.
"Well, should we do what we came here for?" Snow asked soberly, changing to a more serious tone. "It's time." The seven of them slowly made their way to the ocean. As the waves crashed along the shore, Snow reached into his satchel and pulled out two metal containers ? the remains of Cleon and The Fox.
"You all know why we're here," he eulogized. "We're the only family Cleon and The Fox ever had, and the ocean was always home to them and to us. It's been ten years, and the first time all of us have been together since that night. They would have both wanted us to wait ? now the time for waiting is done. Let's send them home."
None of the seven men on the beach would look each other in the eye. They had been hard soldiers, but when it came to losing one of their own, they had soft hearts. Ten years hadn't lessened the pain of that.
"Cleon ? you were our leader, and a solid War Lord. We're all here, brother. It's time to go home." He sprinkled Cleon's ashes into the Atlantic and let the waves carry him away. Opening the other urn, he paused, and then spoke again.
"Fox ? you were a great solider and scout, and of course, our brother. You were our eyes and ears, and helped to get us home. Now it's time for you to go home. Peace." And with that, he poured The Fox's ashes into the ocean behind Cleon's.
A few moments passed before anyone spoke. Cochise broke the silence. "So what do we do now, man?"
Vermin answered. "I gotta go home. I promised to take my kid to her first Mets game."
Vermin was right. It was time to go home. Little by little, they disappeared from the beach until only Swan remained, watching the waves. A decade ago, he had told Luther that when the Warriors saw the ocean they were home. He hadn't changed his mind about that ? Coney was, and always would be home to Swan. He hadn't yet found a job, or even a place to stay ? but he could do that tomorrow. Right now, he simply sat on the sand and watched the waves crash onto the shore. He was home again after all these years.
