NO EXIT (The Apple Grove Gang #1) Read online

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  The smell of freshly cut grass always reminded Benny of summer. Therefore, the sound of his dad’s new Montgomery Ward, Model 3330 lawn mower coming to life sent chills through him. He watched as his dad wheeled the mower from the garage to the back yard and began to pull out the choke and advance the throttle. When he pulled the cord, Benny could feel the hair on the back of his neck stand on end. He wasn’t sure this time if the hair stood up because of the mower’s sound or at the thought of trying to convince his dad into letting him use his prized mower.

  Benny bounced the basketball on the patio while his father began to mow back and forth across the back yard. He dribbled the ball between his legs, behind his back. The ball was as much of part of his body as his hands.

  As soon as Benny saw his father move to the front yard, he lay down on the freshly cut grass and inhaled the scent of summer. Dad, can I borrow your new mower to start a lawn mowing business?... No way, he wouldn’t go for that. Okay, Hey, Dad, what if I used the mower to mow a few of the neighbor’s lawns? Not in a million years. I know! I’ll just take it! He’ll be at work, he’ll never know.

  6

  YOU CAN’T FIGHT CITY HALL

  Bug squirmed in his chair as his mother put dinner on the table. “Mom, I love your pot roast, what’s the special occasion?”

  “No special occasion,” his mom whispered. “I’m just trying to cheer Cliff up. Losing both of his jobs at the same time has been hard on him. Shhh, here he comes.”

  Cliff entered the dining room, his feet barely leaving the floor when he walked. His head hung down, and his hair … his hair was flat on the right side of his head, and stuck out like a porcupine on the left side. You could tell he had been sleeping.

  Cliff’s mom looked at him and thought to herself, Oh my goodness, that boy is such a mess.

  Just then, Pops came in the door and Benny and Cliff began firing questions at him.

  “They can’t do this, can…”

  “Pops, is there anything we…”

  “What about calling…”

  It was hard to know who asked what.

  Pops held his hands up as if to surrender. “Settle down, boys. One at a time, settle down.” The sound of Pops’ voice seemed to calm the boys’ nerves. “Okay, Cliff, now tell me what’s going on.”

  “Pops, Mayor McAllister came to the community center today and shut us down. He told us that some guy named Babbish at the State Highway Department closed down Exit 23. With that closed, I lost my job as a toll taker too. The mayor said the community center is closed because the city isn’t getting any more money from the Toll-Way,” explained Cliff.

  “Hmmm.” Pops seemed to be deep in thought about the problem. “You know, like I told your brother Charlie earlier...”

  Bug didn’t like to be called Charlie. He thought to himself, Don’t call me Charlie. Call me Bug, everyone else does, please!

  “Boys, I used to know Lester Babbish. We went to grade school together in Red Ridge. I remember him. He was tall and skinny. He was a bully who picked on every one who was smaller than he was. It doesn’t sound like much has changed in all these years.

  “He lived with his mother on an old farm right next to where they built Exit 24 off the Toll-Way. I think his mother is still alive, and she still lives in that old house. There was a story that went around many years ago that after they built Exit 24, she tried to sell her property. The rumor is, someone wanted to build a factory to make cars. When they tried to run water lines to her property, the old man, Mr. McGhee, who lived next door, wouldn’t let them.

  “It seems old Mr. McGee had worked for the phone company before he died. Back in the day, every time the phone lines went down Mrs. Babbish, I think her name was Rebecca, blamed him. People say they had quite a feud over it.”

  “Okay, Pops, we get it. They’re not nice people,” Bug said. “What can we do to get the center opened back up and Cliff’s jobs back?”

  “We have some of the kids helping us raise money tomorrow. We want to try at least to open the community center back up,” said Cliff.

  “Boys, I’m afraid you don’t have a chance,” said Pops.

  The boys’ mom touched Pops’ arm and asked, “No chance?”

  “I’m afraid not. You boys might consider trying to get your minds off this. Sometimes things have a way of working themselves out. Tomorrow you should take a hike or a bike ride. Besides, you can’t fight City Hall.”