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The rain poured down hard in a small hopeless town known as Hopeville which seemed to be depressed for quite some time. How ironic it seemed that once a beautiful and hopeful town became so miserable and depressed. However, there lies a man whose name is Jimmy Hendrix who married a beautiful woman in her mid-thirties Kathrine by name. Jimmy himself was just thirty-five years old. The couple of fifteen years were once again poor, depressed, and kind of anti-social. They had an eleven-year-old daughter Jessica who was fascinated by the fancy cities that her other school friends told her about. These cities included Rome, Milan, New York, and the list continued. However, Jessica wished that her family wasn’t so poor and that for Christmas they could get their own house in a good neighborhood. The family was in the same rented broken down house and they knew Christmas was a month and a half away. It was the year 2005. Jimmy laid on his sofa as he reflected on his cursed life. Suddenly, his wife interrupted him and said, “Honey, what’s wrong?”
“Ah, nothing dear was just reflecting on something,” replied Jimmy.
The rain continued to pour down heavily, cats and dogs to be exact. “You know Kathrine, I was thinking how my life, I mean our life ended up like some shack,” said Jimmy as he continued laying on the sofa.
“What are you talking about dear?” replied Kathrine looking puzzled.
“You know, I mean I’m thirty-five years old and I don’t even have a home for us. Only if I got more pay and didn’t quit my former job.” Jimmy replied with a saddened look on his face.
“Don’t worry about it too much dear everything happens for a reason. After all, at least you still provide what you can for us,” said Kathrine.
Jimmy headed to the kitchen to make some coffee. Afterward, he sat down in the small dining room and started reading the newspaper. Jessica entered the kitchen to eat some snacks before going to bed later in the evening. “Hey dear, how was your day?” asked Jimmy with a smile on his face.
“Ah, my day wasn’t too bad or good, dad. Most of my friends told me about their exciting trips overseas to different foreign countries,” replied Jessica as she searched for some snacks.
“That’s great dear, but remember we should always be grateful for the things we have in life. To be content is always good.” said her dad as he flipped through the pages of the newspaper.
“But dad, when are we going to get a nice house for ourselves and not this run down rat-infested apartment you rented,” replied Jessica.
A big rat suddenly ran across the living room. And Jessica was frightened by it.
“It’s not like that Jessica, I’m sure we’ll get a house even for Christmas,” replied her dad as he reads the newspaper some more.
“Well, we’ll see. Good night dad,” said Jessica.
“Good night, dear,” answered Jimmy.
Jimmy took up The Daily News Newspaper that he had bought to see what was in it. He saw that the name of the company he works for was on the cover of it. On the first page, he saw the headline: “Toy’s Incorporation Is Going Bankrupt.” ‘What?’ he thought to himself. ‘When did this happen?’ He continued to read some more to see what might be wrong with the toy company. ‘How will this affect my family and me? He thought as he held the paper in his hands. From reading the newspaper he learned that the Chief Executive Officer (C.E.O.) Mr. James Gary owed billions of dollars in taxes across various countries. ‘When did all this happen? Wasn’t I at work yesterday? How will we now fend for ourselves?’ Jimmy pondered all of this to himself. He then decided to use his house phone to call his good co-worker Johnny, but he remembered that his cell phone was in his pocket. Johnny always seemed to know what was happening in the company. Furthermore, he was a supervisor of the manufacturing department. Jimmy took up his cell phone and dialed the number. The phone rang one time, then another time. Finally, Johnny answered the call answering in a rough tone. “Hello, this is Johnny how may I help you?”
“Johnny, this is Jimmy. Have you heard about the company?” said Jimmy as he seemed troubled by the news in the paper.
“Jimmy, Jimmy who?” replied Johnny.
“Jimmy Hendrix. Have you been drinking whiskey again Johnny?” asked Jimmy. He said this because of the way he answered the phone. He also knew Johnny was a former drug addict, so he wondered if he heard the news about the toy company and started taking hard drugs again. Johnny realized who it was now.
“No, sorry about that man. I thought it was some prank call,” replied Johnny with a little chuckle on his face.
“That’s okay, Johnny. But have you heard the news about the company?” asked Jimmy.
Johnny thought for a bit, then he replied, “There was some meeting a back that mentioned something about the company owing billions of dollars in taxes. It was only a matter of time before the devil got Mr. Gary.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?” asked Jimmy.
“You see I had a lot on my mind. I have been going through a rough period in my life. You know about my divorce with Kathy and the kids moving down farther South. And how could I tell you knowing your situation?” replied Johnny.
Jimmy pondered a few seconds, then he said, “What will you do now?”
Johnny replied, “Ah, you know me. My family has some farmlands down Greater South, I’ll go there and supervise the farm. There are a lot of cows, so I guess I’ll manage somehow.”
“That’s great. That’s just great. Ah, I wished I had another job to go to just like you Johnny. I guess you were always the lucky ones.” said Jimmy. Jimmy remembered that even from his childhood days Johnny was always fortunate or even lucky to acquire so much. He knew that Johnny’s ancestry was from Ireland, but this was no Irish luck. Even with Johnny’s divorce of Kathy, he wondered if his luck was beginning to run out.
“Jimmy, don’t worry about anything. Remember this, my friend, ‘Every cloud has a silver lining.’ It’s not always about luck, but it’s all about fate and destiny.” replied Johnny with confidence in his eyes and tone.
“I’ll see you at work tomorrow Johnny. Goodnight.”
Afterward, Jimmy laid down on the sofa once again to think for a few moments about what he will do now seeing disaster may strike. ‘How can I tell Kathrine this bad news? She kept such false hope about a new home for Christmas. Now it seems it’s rather just impossible. Now would be a good time to buy more lottery tickets. Ah brother.’ Jimmy thought on these things. He then fell asleep. His wife came into the living room and said, “Jimmy, aren’t you coming to bed tonight?”
“What time is it, dear?” asked Jimmy.
“It’s eleven-forty-five p.m. dear,” replied Kathrine with a perplexed look on her face.
“I didn’t realize it was that late. You know I usually come to bed earlier than this,” said Jimmy as he rubbed his eyes fighting to keep focus and awake.
His wife looked very concerned about his sadness and depressed look and she asked, “Is everything okay at work?”
Jimmy wondered what to say or do, but he knew the truth was necessary if he didn’t want to lose his marriage as well. He didn’t have a house, and by the next day, he wouldn’t have a job. He then replied, “No, dear. I’m afraid I’ll soon have no job.”
His wife looked shocked and even more concerned said, “What do you mean? Did you get fired today or something?”
“No, I didn’t get fired, however, I’m afraid that from today’s newspaper headline the toy company I work for is going bankrupt. I also confirmed that news through Johnny by phone call earlier this evening,” answered Jimmy as he yawned.
“My God Jimmy, I’m shocked as you are. What will we do?” replied Kathrine.
“I don’t know, but I need to go to work tomorrow to find out. I know if Mr. Gary’s decision is final, then he’ll have to give us some money in our pockets. However, I’m afraid that will not be enough.” Jimmy said in dismay.
“Let’s get some sleep dear. I’m sure something will work out for us,” replied Katherine.
After she said this both Jimmy and Kathrine went off to bed. Meanwhile, the rain poured and the sound of thunder was evident, and the flash of lightning was all around. The streets were silent and even the sound of cats and dogs were not heard in the night. It was like the night before Christmas all were asleep, awaiting Santa Claus, however, this was not that night, and Santa Claus wasn’t on his merry way. The black skies told it all. The weather forecast in the day had reported thunderstorms and hard rains, but they didn’t imagine it would be like this. Everyone in Hopeville felt that terrible times were ahead.
Early the next morning, Jimmy and his wife got up as usual. Jessica was up early as she prepared to get ready for school. The rains had ceased, however, the skies were still overcast as though they were still angry. Kathrine prepared some breakfast which included eggs, ham, and toast bread along with orange juice. She called her husband and daughter to the dining table. They came in a rush seeing it was seven-fifteen a.m. The food was already on the table, and they all hurried and ate. Kathrine wondered to herself why her family always ate in a rush: ‘Was it because of my delicious cooking or was it because they were running late?’ she thought to herself. However, after they said how delicious her cooking was she knew it wasn’t just the rush. Kathrine, then said to her husband, “You know Jimmy, I was thinking that I should probably get a job, so I could help with the bills.”
“Are you sure about that Kathrine?” replied Jimmy being caught off guard by this statement made by his wife.
“Yes, you know I have my degree in social work. I was thinking that down by the shelter on the other side of town there’s a job offer. I’m not so physically well, but I could manage a bit.” said Kathrine as she finished breakfast.
“That’s a good idea, dear, but remember if it gets too stressful you don’t have to stay. I’ll figure out something for us,” answered Jimmy as he smiled.
“I know, but I want to try to earn even a few dollars,” said Kathrine. Jimmy, then went off to work in his vehicle that took a few turns to start. ‘Ah, this broken-down old thing. Man, I wished I had enough money to buy a good vehicle.’ thought Jimmy to himself as he drove the car with a lot of smoke signifying something was wrong with the engine or transmission. Maybe it was even the entire system, in truth, he had no clue since he couldn’t afford the cheapest mechanic in town. He wondered why the town looked so hopeless, but yet was so expensive. ‘Where is all the money going?’ he wondered as he drove towards the factory. Although he drove the same route every morning, he started to look at the town with a new pair of eyes. The more he looked the more he wondered if he was living in the city of Gotham. The place looked intense, corrupt, and hopeless. He wondered if he would become the Batman of this town. However, he wasn’t rich. And he sure wasn’t Bruce Wayne. Neither did he own a company called ‘Wayne Industries’. He was back to reality where he remembered his job and the jobs of others were on the line. As early as the morning was some people looked depressed and hopeless begging on the streets in ragged clothes and a torn pair of shoes. ‘Only if I could help myself, and family, and even them.’ he thought to himself as he drove. He drove at a steady pace because he wanted to reach work on time. He finally reached the company where he worked for the last ten and a half years. He saw that some workers had plaque cards made of cardboard in their hands shouting and protesting against the closing down of the company. The media was there also taking coverage of what was going on. Jimmy quickly parked his vehicle in the employee’s section of the company. He made his way to the front to see what the commotion was all about. He hurried to where he saw some of his co-workers shouting and behaving boisterously. He asked one of his co-workers by the name of Scotty who was observing the scene of what was going on why there were so many workers and the media here. The co-worker replied, “The word is out that the company is going bankrupt. Now we need answers since Christmas is only a month and a half away.”
“I see. So where is the CEO?” asked Jimmy.
“He’s hiding in the building like a coward. All I want to know is how I will get my money for the seven years I labored here. You remembered I served time in prison right?” continued Scotty. Scotty was a former rogue prisoner who spent fifteen years on the streets and another seven in prison. He often told the other co-workers who didn’t know about the prison system what it was like. Some co-workers were afraid of him because they thought to themselves that one day he might have gone crazy on them. Some of the workers who came off the streets knew it could change anyone. The streets were cold, violent, and dark. No one saw anything, said anything, and remembered anything. Scotty was wrestling within himself not to go back to such a lifestyle after hearing about the closure of the company. He was, in truth, very grateful for the work at the toy factory. He didn’t get the job because he liked working at a toy company at first, but his parole officer thought that if he wanted to come out early and maintained his freedom a job was the key. Scotty worked for some months and then he got to like the job. He now knew that toys weren't that bad. At least, toys weren’t dealing in drugs or guns, but a spreading joy to children.
“Yes, I remember you mentioning that some years back. What does your time spent in prison have to do with anything?”
“I know this CEO is pissing me off to go back there,” said Scotty as his anger began to show more. Scotty was a tall muscular African American who looked pretty much as though the military couldn’t control him. Scotty always spoke about the army a lot, but always said it couldn’t contain his expertise and street credit. That was when he was younger, though.
“I’m sure he’ll work something out for the workers. After all, it must be in the company’s policy,” replied Jimmy.
“I hope you’re right Son,” answered Scotty as he shouted some more to a journalist who looked at him. Scotty continued to shout at the media because he wouldn’t take this crap any longer. If anyone messed with him or his crew back in the day they would feel his wrath. That’s where he got the nickname “God of Wrath” from.
Jimmy, then waited a few more minutes to see what would transpire. After all, he wondered how it was coming to the season of Christmas and the toy company was going out of business. ‘You never know what will happen in life.’ He thought to himself. He remembered his childhood where something like this had happened in his town. Well, it wasn’t as important as a working man being jobless, but Jimmy remembered his childhood days when there was a circus in town. The name of the circus was “Funderland”, it was really fun to Jimmy, until one day the owner killed himself and the business went south. Such a tragedy wasn’t fun at all. Jimmy as a boy would go to the circus with his friends, but little did he know that life was like a circus. In the circus of life, you can either live with tricks or perform them. You also have the animals who are trained to do other people’s work and tricks, but they don’t have a mind to do anything for themselves. Jimmy didn’t know why he remembered the circus, but he surely did and wished it went out of his mind. He wished he didn’t attend the circus as a kid because how could a nine-year-old boy handle an adult committing suicide being a circus manager. Jimmy looked at the crowd he was in and he heard many workers reaction and he wondered if he was at the toy company’s circus get together. He knew that the workers were right, but he couldn’t stand some of the violent threats they uttered. Jimmy wondered if it were because some of the workers were born and raised on the streets. Some often used the word “ghetto” to distinguish where they were from. Where they were bred. This word wasn’t foreign to Jimmy, but the lifestyle was. He wasn’t brought up in that kind of light, but he nonetheless knew the streets. All kinds of people worked at the toy factory and all had mouths to feed. Jimmy looked ahead some more and there he saw Clive. Now Clive had a dark complexion, after all, he was descended from an East African tribe, but for a few years, he was employed to the arm of designing toys. Clive was one of those hustler preachers on the streets before he started working at the toy company. Hustler preachers went around on the streets preaching to make a buck out of people’s hardworking cash. Clive always called himself a religious person or in other words, a black Christian man. Jimmy often wondered who Clive was because at times he was preaching the so-called “Gospel”, and then the next minute would be cursing, swearing, and chasing down fine women down the streets. ‘Now was that the life of a preacher?’ Jimmy often wondered to himself. Clive didn’t portray anything to that of the life of Jesus. Along the streets of Hopeville and neighboring towns, you had people from all walks of life on the streets. You had the list of hustler preachers, the pimps, the prostitutes, the drug dealers, the gamblers, the crooks, the police, the undertakers, and the list could go on. The closing of the toy factory would be stressful for many. Would Clive go back to hustling preaching? Would Scotty go back to street life? These were some of the things that crossed the mind of Jimmy as he watched and observed the crowd of workers, media, and the police. As Jimmy was deep in thought, someone called his name, and he looked around and realized it was his friend Johnny.
“Are you just coming to work? asked Jimmy.
“Ah, yes, I’m late for the millionth time. And, I saw this chaos. I was wondering to myself if this was Sin City. However, I envisioned that many workers like ourselves thought we could make a living from working here in this company, but you will never know what life may bring. No one knows what the future holds.” replied Johnny. Johnny often came to work late due to heavy drinking at night. He didn’t admit he had any problem, but alcohol was his second-best friend. His excess use of alcohol which included whiskey, beer, and rum was the main reason he was on the divorce road. Apart from drinking, Johnny was a smoker. He smoked from morning until bedtime. His former wife hated that habit of smoking and drinking. Jimmy didn’t smoke or drink because, in truth, he hated those habits. He knew drinking alcoholic beverages very often could be fatal, and that excess smoking could cause lung cancer. Jimmy wanted long life and not just a few years. Johnny, on the other hand, was a bit different. Johnny wasn’t a novice, although he didn’t go to college, back in high school he was very brilliant in his studies. By the ninth grade, Johnny was a scientific genius. Johnny often pondered what his life would be like if he had gone to college. The streets seemed to be the university and college he needed all along. He had learned that the streets were the real world, whereas college theories and principles sounded great and all, the reality was far superior. He also held the concept that theories didn’t pay much, but a real job once it is good could. There were not that many who thought like how Johnny did, but at the end of the day, they all realized that his concepts were the real deal. Jimmy, on the one hand, was like Johnny, but like a smaller version without the smoking, excessive alcohol, and the divorce, but both men learned a lot from working with each other and growing up together. Once again fate had brought them along even to the extent of working at the same company together.
Jimmy often wondered why Johnny didn’t become a philosopher instead of a mere toy manufacturing supervisor. His words were deep and true for a former drug addict. Although as a kid he remembered that Johnny liked toys, after all, which kid didn’t, but Johnny always cared for them when he received them from his grandparents. Jimmy nodded his head in agreement as the CEO finally came out and spoke to them. He did this because he was a humble, but yet a patient man. There weren’t a lot of people like that anymore. If the CEO had talked crap he would be in hot water with the crowd. When Mr. Gary came out everyone went in silence to hear what would have emerged after all they didn’t turn up to hear a cotton candy message, but rather a word on their livelihood. Mr. Gary came out with some of the company’s security officers and a German Shepherd security dog. He was nicely dressed in his business suit as usual and he had his huge glasses on. Seeing him you would have thought that he worked for some secret agency because he didn’t look that old, though he was going on seventy-two. He talked in simple words so that the workers could understand what he said. He had a briefcase in his hand. People began to wonder amongst themselves if he thought this was the Harlem March of the 1960s where dogs worked as though they were in the military. He had a microphone in his hand as he spoke to the people. He said to the workers and media, “I thank all my workers and customers for the past forty years who have given me and my company tremendous support. Some workers are not with us today, neither some customers. However, I respect everyone highly. I’m afraid some of you already know that the company is in bankruptcy. The truth is that toys and production costs aren't like what it was back a decade or two ago. Today’s children aren’t interested in our toys, but they are interested more in the Internet and other fast pace technological gadgets. With that said, we have no choice but to close down this company with immediate effect by the latest two weeks’ time. Don’t worry you’ll get all the monies that were owed to you since it’s in the company’s policy. Also, you have to report to work every day for the next two weeks.”
After Mr. Gary said this, the people were not that angry any more because they now understood what was going on. They all knew that they had to go job hunting, though because unless they got working Christmas would find them in misery. Only a few people in the town understood the true symbolism of Christmas and only a few weren’t that greedy for gifts, money, and fame. There wasn’t any telling of what some of the citizens would do for a buck or two. Not every one of them was evil, at least there were more good folks than bad folks. Johnny then looked at Jimmy as if to say, ‘I told you so.’ Everyone then went back to work, as usual, being excited for some strange reason and all. Jimmy went to do his work because he knew the next few weeks would be rough and tough. Many toys were there to be packed and they knew that distribution was important even though the company was going to be closed since the terms of their company’s contract were to be fulfilled. ‘I better get to work then.’ he said to himself looking up at the dark clouds above which looked cruel and mean. Jimmy wondered if the clouds too were angry with nature or perhaps they were angry with the town and its citizens. There wasn’t any time of such to reflect on these things, but in his mind, the clouds symbolized a lot. He often looked at the sky which he used to predict the day. And this day indeed seemed to be a very sad one. However, as he continued to look up he saw that a spot of blue was coming and the black clouds were not that black. A white bird also flew reaching for the skies. Jimmy knew that this meant that just maybe that all hope wasn’t lost.
