Dead

It was well known around Gainesville that William "Billy Boy" Johnson and his goons were bad news.  He was a short, forty something, heavy set man who loved to throw his weight around.  His dark hair had started to thin on top and was starting to turn gray around his ears.

He was hated by nearly all the town's people, except for his goons.  There were always two following him around like puppies.  Everyone in town knew something had to be done but no one wanted to be the one that did it.  So one evening, at a town meeting, they decided that they would all do something to teach Billy Boy a lesson.

So one bright and sunny Texas day in July the trap was sprung.  By the time that Billy and two of his goons got to Daisy's dinner for their morning coffee it was already getting hot.  Alice Phillips, the only dinner waitress, saw them through the window and had three cups of coffee on Billy"s favorite table.  Billy Boy had to have a table in the corner.  From there he could see everyone come and go.

Everyone in the dinner was watching and waiting.  Soon Billy's coffee cup fell from his hand, hit the floor, broke and spilled coffee everywhere.  His head fell forward onto the table.  His two goons jumped up and just quick hit the floor.

Quickly four town's people jumped up and picked them placed them back in their chairs and put their heads on the table.  Alice cleaned up the cup and spilled coffee.  Ricky Martindale and Buddy Sherman picked up Billy and dragged him outside to Ricky's truck .  They put him in the truck bed and drove the two blocks to Frazier and Sons Funeral Home.

John Frazier, owner of the funeral home, and his two sons Randy and Robert met Ricky and Buddy at the rear door.  Together they got Billy out of the truck.  They moved him into a quite prep room next to the rear door.. They placed him carefully into a casket made just for Billy.  It had cool air flowing through it and there was a mike hidden under the pillow for his head.

Spencer Wallace, the pharmacist, had assured everyone that the drug he prepared for them  would keep everyone out for at least two hours.  After that they would begin to wake up.  Everyone and everything had to be place before that.  He had also prepared a drug that could be feed through the cooling system to keep Billy out for a little longer,  It would keep Billy's mind conscious but would not allow him to move..

Finally they were ready. No one knew what the out come would be but it was to late for anyone to back out now. They knew that the law wouldn't interfere because Judd Wallace, the Sheriff, was Spencer's brother.  Judd had been at the meeting and knew what was happening.

As Spencer had said the drugs wore off almost to the the hour.  Alice was shaking and shouting at the goons when they started to wake up,  "Hey! You guys need to go somewhere else to take a nap."

Confused and rubbing their eyes they sat up.  "Where's Billy Boy? asked Billy's brother Jordan

"How should I know," Alice answered. "I never know what he's doing and where he's going.  You guys sat here and fell asleep, he got mad and left."

"He wouldn't do that,"  said Johnny still rubbing his eyes.

"Well he did and he left without paying," holding her hand out Alice looked from one to the other.  "I need three dollars from one of you."

Johnny took the money out of his wallet and threw it on the table.  Then the two men left to fine Billy.  Just as this was happening Billy was beginning to wake up at the funeral home.  The lid to the casket had been closed making it very dark and quite.

"What is this!" was Billy's first thought.  "Who turned out the lights?"

No answer.  This made Billy mad.  He was used to people jumping when he called.  "Where is everybody! What's going on?" a chill began to run up Billy's spine at he thought he might be alone. 

"What did you guys do to me!" Billy was becoming aware that he either wasn't or couldn't move.  He felt cold from the cool air flowing through the casket.  It was so dark he couldn't tell if his eyes were open or not.  It was totally quite, he'd never knew such quite before.

Fear was beginning to take a hold of him when he heard voices.  One voice he knew, it was John Frazier, the other he wasn't to such about.

"What's he doing here?" ask the other voice.  "They said he died at the dinner right in the middle of his morning coffee."

Billy knew the now, it was either Randy or Robert, he could never tell their voices apart.

"He did and no one else would take him,: said John.

Now terror gripped  Billy.  Were they talking about me?  Were they right am I...dead?  I can't be dead, I was suppose to see a bright light.  I was suppose to get a warm loving feeling as my family and friends, who died before me waited on me. I was suppose to see my life flash before my eyes, didn't happen not even one day.  No this wasn't right, something is wrong.

Billy was trying to figure out if this was hell, he was sure it wasn't heaven.  Heaven wasn't suppose to be this way at all.  As he was thinking he heard two more voices.

"What happened?"  it was Ricky Martindale. Billy had known him all his life, they were friends once.

"I don't know," Billy knew this voice, too.  It was Buddy.  "But it looks like he finally got what was coming to him."

"He wasn't always this way," answered Ricky.

"Didn't you hear what he was doing to old Mrs. Butler?"  asked Buddy.  "He was throwing her out of her house!"

Billy felt bad now.  Mrs. Butler had been his second teacher.  She'd never done anything to him at all.  She was always trying to help and teach him.  It had been all about money.  Get the house and land and sell it to those developers.  The deal was worth millions.  Now he wished he could take it all back.

"What are you guys doing here?"  it was Alice.  "Hey you guys know about the Simpsons?"

"No," it was Ricky again.  He was starting to feel bad about what the town was doing.

"He was trying to take their farm away from them."  Alice saw that Ricky didn't feel comfortable.  She put her index finger in front of her face and blew.

Again Billy's thoughts turned to someone else instead of himself.  Money again.  Now money didn't seem so important.  He didn't need it.  His Mother and Father had left him more than he could ever spend, and he was just wasting it.  Wasting it on what...nothing.  If he could only do things over he'd fix it.

He was feeling sleepy.  His eyes were heavy and he couldn't keep them open.  What was happening now.  Was this it was he headed for hell;  Then he was out.

Slowly he became aware of his surroundings.  Someone was rubbing his back then he heard Alice.. "Are you ok Billy?"

Rubbing his head he sat up.  "What happened?" looked confused to Alice.  He looked around and saw everyone staring at him.

"I guess you fell asleep," Alice was hoping that her voice didn't give anything away..
"Where did the guys go?"

"When you went to sleep they paid and left."  Still rubbing his head he turned to look at Alice.  "How long have I known you Alice?"  The question surprised Alice.

"I guess since we was five or so." she was wondering what was going on.  "How long have you work here?" he asked her."

Billy stood up and took his wallet out.  "I guess ten years or close to it," her heart was beating faster and harder.  "In all that time have I ever given you a tip?"  he took fifty dollars out of his wallet and handed to her.  "It won't make up for everything but I hope it's a start."

He turned and walked quickly headed for the door.  "Hey, where you going?"  she shouted after him.  "I've got a lot of things I have to fix and make right fast."  Billy was true to his word.  He paid off Mrs. Butler's house and made sure that no one could ever do what he had almost done to her again. 

He got with Jim Simpson and found out what he needed to make his farm work easier and better.  They said that Jim had cried when walked outside the next morning and found everything he needed there.  There were a lot of other things Billy did to improve things around  town.  For years people smiled when they saw him walking around town.  When Billy did finally die the whole town was there to say goodbye.  They were surprised to find out that he had left all his money to the town.  He just said use it wisely and spend it well.