| Friday, October 28, 2005 |
| CHAPTER 5
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August 14, 1984 was a beautiful day in the city of Dorinda. Dorinda, Maddocha was a beautiful place in the late summer. There was a slight breeze blowing on this Tuesday morning as Dorindians went about their day. Who could have imagined that Dorinda could go through what it went through and go on to be the number one city of the state of Maddocha?
Dorinda, Maddocha was established by the Dixon family in 1827. The city of Dorinda was named after Tom W. Dixon's daughter, Dorinda Dixon. Dorinda flourished until 1836 when a great drought almost destroyed the city. The "Water Crisis" caused the city to have to be rebuilt after it developed in the late 1830s.
The "Water Crisis" of 1837 began on March 21, 1837 between the cities of Dorinda and Hardaway. It started of the Hardaway River, which divided the cities of Dorinda and Absanie from the city of Hardaway. The river was big enough to accommodate the three cities at first, but as more cattlemen began to come to the area, the water supply decreased. The official of the city of Hardaway decided to be greedy since most of the river rested in the city of Hardaway. The officials fenced off most of the river from the cities of Dorinda and Absanie.
The officials of Absanie decided to come to an agreement with Hardaway. The city of Absanie would trade its corn and wheat products for water from Hardaway. The officials of Hardaway tried to strike up a similar agreement with the city of Dorinda. This was not a successful endeavor. Hardaway placed armed guards at various points along the river to make sure that people did not steal the water. The officials of Dorinda mobilized a small band of men to raid the river. As Dorinda attacked, the armed guards of Hardaway attacked them back. On May 15, 1937, 10 of Dorinda's men lay dead and 32 of Hardaway's men lay dead at the mouth of the Hardaway River.
The city of Absanie tried to intervene, but without much success. The city of Absanie joined forces with the city of Hardaway when officials from the city of Dorinda stormed out of a meeting declaring, "We will fight until there is no more water or die trying!"
The Water Crisis Massacre occurred on February 3, 1838. The Dorinda soldiers had a base on a plot of land owned by real estate tycoon Joe Harmon. While the soldiers of Dorinda were sleeping, some soldiers from the cities of Hardaway and Absanie slipped onto the Dorinda base in disguise. The sneaking soldiers took over the base. The soldiers set fire to a house that was on the plot of land. Ten soldiers from the city of Dorinda died in the house. As the house burned down, a fight developed between some of the Dorinda soldiers and the other soldiers. After the fight had ended, 123 men laid dead from both armies. The group of soldiers from the cities of Hardaway and Absanie left claiming victory.
After this battle, officials from the city of Dorinda set-up a meeting with officials from the city of Hardaway. An agreement was reached. All three cities could use the water supply. The "Water Crisis" ended with over 190 men dead.
Dorinda grew out of this tragedy time to become a great city of culture, excitement, and industry. Dorinda has some of the best museums and cultural exhibits in the city. One of the more popular tourist attractions is the Angel Pass Monument. It is a monument dedicated to the daughter of Tom Dixon.
It has always been said that the spirit of Dorinda Dixon protects the city of Dorinda. Travelers that journeyed on Dixon Street during the 1940s and 50s often reported hearing an angelic voice singing in the night. Hundreds of other travelers have reported stories of being protected from robbers, thieves, wrecks, and precarious situations. In 1959, a monument was placed on Dixon Street to honor Dorinda Dixon, the protector of Dixon Street. It had been said that even today, if you listen closely, you can hear the angel sing on Dixon Street.
Dorinda is filled with historic buildings. One of the most historic buildings is Harmon Street Church of God In Christ. The church is not that old, but the location on which it sits is the site where the "Water Crisis Massacre" occurred.
In 1833, the plot of land where Harmon Street COGIC sits was purchased by Ben Harmon. It was 17 acres of land. He built a home for his family on the land. In 1837, one of Ben Harmon’s sons, Joe, let the soldiers from Dorinda use the house as a base. The house was stormed by the troops from the cities of Hardaway and Absanie. The house and soldiers were burnt to the ground. The land remained vacant until 1899 because people believed that the land was haunted by the ghosts of the fallen soldiers of the Water Crisis. The street was named Harmon Street after Ben Harmon and his family.
A man by the name of Andrew Deckard took over the land in 1899 because no one could lay claim to the land. Mr. Deckard built a house on one part of the land and gave the other part of the land to his nephew to build a church. The Deckard family lived on the land until 1910 when the house mysteriously burned down. Mark Deckard, Andrew’s nephew and only surviving relative, sold the land and the church to the Battles family in 1910.
The Battles family built a house on one part of the land and used the site where the church sat as a saloon and burlesque house. The Battles’ house mysteriously burned down in 1918. The Battles’ family built another house, which burned down in 1936. The saloon and burlesque house was turned into a school. The school was closed down in 1926 when two children were found murdered in the school. The Battles moved from the plot of land.
The land began to be used in 1938 when Turner Battles met a young COGIC evangelist who wanted to build a church. Turner told the evangelist the truth about the plot of land. The young evangelist still wanted to purchase the land after hearing its torrid history. Turner battles decided to donate the land to the young evangelist as long as he named the church after the street. Turner donated the money to help restore the land and to help build the church.
The church and the land where the Water Crisis took place began to flourish in 1943. Strangely enough, no one to this day has ever found any proof that the young evangelist ever existed.
There have been no more strange occurrences on Harmon Street. A monument was placed near the church that contains two plaques. One plaque reads, “In honor of our fallen soldiers” and the other plaque reads, “Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.” Harmon Street is a very popular street in the city of Dorinda.
Dorinda had been voted the #1 city to live in. It had received that honor numerous times over the years. The city’s economy is supported by businesses from all kinds of industries that included the metal industry, chemical industry, machine tools industry, and pharmaceutical industry. Dorinda was a city that made advancements in science.
Dorinda was a city of education. Many of the best rated schools in the state called the city home. The schools provided its students with the best education money could buy. It was no wonder that the best school for science was located in the city.
Anyone visiting the city would see what made Dorinda so special. It was a fashionable city that wasn’t afraid to show you its history, its struggle, its culture, its accomplishments, and its people. It was the city to be in on this day. Great things were going to happen in the city of Dorinda. Even greater things were going to happen on the campus of Caffco University, which sat in the city of Dorinda.
Many of the students of Caffco University were eager to begin their second day of school. Many of them were already roaming around the campus energized and ready to begin their day. Several students were having a jog around the campus. The group of five young ladies clad in their running attire breezed by the young men throwing the football. The young men smiled and greeted the young ladies with jovial hellos. A young couple, happily in love rode their bikes side by side down the side walk, bound for classes, not eager to separate from one another. The more bookish students had already found their way to the library, which opened its arm to embrace those who wanted to learn at 6:30 AM.
The cafeteria and Mrs. Shurley Greene welcomed hungry students to a healthy breakfast complete with eggs, pancakes, bacon, ham, and multiple types of juices. Of course, cereal and milk graced the menu. Extraordinarily enough, you could get a variety of cereal that included some childhood favorites. The cafeteria smelled so delectable that you just couldn’t resist being lulled into the cafeteria by its homey smell. Once in the cafeteria, you had to resist the urge to stay there for awhile.
Paula and Rick walked into the cafeteria together, having made up the night before, in their separate residences of course. They had made the decision to save themselves for marriage, which was an accomplishment in itself with so many young people partaking in forbidden sins to satisfy a lust and longing that would not be satisfied by a quick fling.
Rick MaCulvie was a strong young man, who had recently accepted his call into the ministry. He had strong features that made him look confident and at times over confident. His dark skin was a great contrast to Paula’s light skin. He had a bright smile that could make even the meanest man want to smile. His strong deep voice often sent chills up Paula’s spine. His deep voice was forceful enough to cause you to listen to the word of God as he preached it. He stood six foot tall. He had broad shoulders and a defined chest. It was easy to see why Paula had fallen for the would be preacher a year earlier.
The first person to see Paula and Rick was Mrs. Greene. She had a big smile on her face when she saw them holding hands. Mrs. Greene walked over to them and said, “Now, don’t ya’ll let the devil destroy what God is trying to put together. You all are gonna do something special for the Lord.” Before either of them could respond, Mrs. Greene sauntered off in the opposite direction. Mrs. Greene could see what they couldn’t see right now because they were blinded by love. Rick and Paula had been placed together to do a work for the Lord. Mrs. Greene could plainly see that in the spirit. She prayed for them constantly when she found out that they had chose to abstain from fornication. She wanted them to hold onto their testimonies.
Paula smiled at Rick. They had heard Mrs. Greene say that same thing so often that it no longer bothered them. It had bothered Paula at first. How dare that old woman pronounce marriage upon them without even knowing either one of them? For Rick, it was more of a confirmation. Although he had not told Paula, when he first saw her, he knew she was his wife. He could tell that Paula wasn’t ready for that step just yet.
Rick and Paula both ended up getting the same thing; pancakes, sausage, eggs, and orange juice. They choose a table and sat down to eat. Before long, Rick was ministering to a young man who had sat down at the table with them. Paula watched Rick as he ministered to the young man. Rick seemed to be enjoying himself. The young man appeared to be listened. He had looked a bit despondent when he sat down at the table.
It was going to take some getting use to the new preacher that Rick had turned into. Rick seemed troubled before he accepted his call. Paula knew he was supposed to be doing something for God because he would always end up talking about God some kind of way. It was cool with Paula; she liked seeing him so passionate about his calling. He had become a bit fanatical since he had started hanging out with this preacher named Brandon Treshon. He was a chunky overly zealous uncompromising person. He acted as if he was the only person that had ever read the Bible. Paula was probably too hard on Treshon. In all honesty, he was just like Rick, passionate about the God that he served. Paula just didn’t like the guy and didn’t want to like him.
Rick finished ministering to the young man. He had a smile on his face. Paula smiled because she knew that would be the outcome. The way that Rick had been acting lately, she half expected to see Rick and the guy down on their knees praying through. Rick shook the young man’s hand and then the young man left.
Paula braced herself for the 20 minute speech that Rick gave next about ministering to God’s people. Paula laughed inside. That boy could get excited when he wanted to. Rick continued to beam as he walked Paula to her management class in the Caffco Business building.
Colt didn’t have anything to do until 9:30. That was his first class with Dr. James Boone as his teaching assistant. Colt woke up at 8:12. He laid in the bed for a few minutes. He finally got up and began his morning ritual. He got down on his knees and prayed. He still prayed every morning when waking up and every night before going to bed. His mother had insisted that he do both growing up. It was something that he couldn’t’ stop doing even now, when he wasn’t going to church.
He finished praying and laid his towel on the floor and did 100 sit-ups. It was more like 95. He rolled over onto his knees and did 100 push-ups. He stood up and did 100 jumping jacks. He finished his work-up by doing a few stretches for key places on his body. He went to the mirror and looked at his bare chest. Colt never slept in a shirt. It seemed to strangle him as he slept, so he stopped sleeping in them when he turned 13. Colt flexed his biceps. He smiled. He flexed his chest muscles. He heard his mother’s voice say, “Boy, get out of that mirror.”
Colt smiled as his thought about his mother. He did miss his mother fixing him breakfast. Everyday, at 6:00 AM, he would be awakened by his mother singing. She had a marvelous voice. She would cook oatmeal at every breakfast. She made him eat a bowl of oatmeal for breakfast everyday. That was one tradition that he stopped when he got to college. At that moment, Colt had a craving for some oatmeal. He laughed it off as he went to take his shower.
Colt finished his shower at 8:55. He looked at the clock. He mumbled a curse word just before he said, “I can’t believe this. I have got to learn how to manage time better. I can’t believe its 9:00 already.” He finished the sentence with another mumbled curse word.
Colt got dressed and left the room at 9:25. He was going to be late for Dr. Boone’s class. That boy couldn’t be on time for anything. He ran out of the room, down the hallway, and out the door. He made a mad dash for the Science building, hoping that he wouldn’t be late, although he knew it was already 9:30.
Kourtnee woke up refreshed and ready for a new day. She wondered what this day would bring. She thanked God for another day as she went into the bathroom. She cleaned herself up before she made herself some toast and cereal. She kind of wished that Ramona Jackson, her childhood nanny, would have been there to make her some crepes and an omelet. Kourtnee couldn’t cook, too well. Ramona had always cooked for her. Kourtnee had learned to cook some simple things, but not anything as extravagant as crepes and an omelet, which she craved badly at that moment. She vowed to ask Ramona to come over and cook the breakfast for her on Saturday.
Kourtnee dressed in a pink pair of slacks with a white blouse. She picked her gold necklace and bracelet set with the pink accents on it to wear with the outfit. Her mother had taught her that a woman should be fully dressed, wherever she went. That was something lost on her sister Donna, who had insisted on being a tomboy and running all over the place with their brothers, Thomas and Andre. Donna could tackle their brothers harder than they could tackle her when she was growing up. Donna often teased Kourtnee for being Prissy. Kourtnee would tell her brother, Andre, who she was closest to and he would beat Donna up, at least try to. Donna would usually get the best of him and send him running to their mother. Donna was mean and hateful at time because Kourtnee would get attention from her mother and grandparents. Kourtnee was just being herself and it got her attention. It wasn’t Kourtnee’s fault that Donna would rather chase a boy down and beat him up than sit and get her hair combed.
Kourtnee put the finishing touches on her outfit. She looked fabulous, no matter how prissy she was. Her pick sandals accented her outfit flawlessly. She left her apartment at 7:30 to walk over to her Marketing class. She was a bit excited about the marketing class because she liked the class. She liked trying to sell things. She liked coming up with ideas on how to make the public buy your product. She had even inspired a marketing campaign for Shimmers Incorporated.
“Miss Complete Sentence Lady,” Kourtnee heard someone say behind her. She was going to ignore the voice, but the person behind the voice caught up with her. It was Setrick. He gave her a big kool-aid grin as he said, “OK, I suppose you are thinking this dork did not just call me out of my name.” Kourtnee rolled her eyes at him. He punched his friend on the arm and said, “Uhh oh, the eye roll. I’m in trouble.” Kourtnee was growing tired of Setrick. He and his cute friend were interrupting her walk.
Irritated Kourtnee said, “Do you want something?”
“Not really. I just saw a beautiful head of hair and thought it was you. I had to come say hi,” he grinned. Kourtnee ignored Setrick and looked at his friend as she said, “Apparently, your friend has no manners. I am Kourtnee Adams.” Setrick’s friend smiled and extended his hand to Kourtnee. She extended her hand to his. He kissed her hand. While still holding her hand, he said, “My name is Martin Nance. I am his cousin.” Kourtnee suppressed a giggle. Setrick, obviously use to this reaction blissfully said, “You was expecting a smoother voice, huh. Mart you crazy, how you gone try to be cool and got a high-pitched voice?” Martin huffed at Setrick.
Setrick was right. Kourtnee expected a bass filled voice to come from Martin, but instead, his voice was a bit high and squeaky. She looked the tall, lanky guy up and down. He had some pretty eye lashes that covered his jet black eyes. He could use some meat on his bones, but he was cute.
Martin was checking Kourtnee out as well. He took in her full figure from head to toe. She was a beautiful young lady, who filled out her voluptuous figure. Her hair was long, pretty, and healthy looking. Martin couldn’t resist girls who took care of themselves. It was obvious that this girl did just that.
Setrick saw the two of them checking each other out. He retorted, “Do you all want to be alone? Cause I will leave.” Kourtnee and Martin snapped back to reality from their brief involvement. Martin responded, “Dang, boy. Don’t you have somewhere to be?” Setrick was getting upset. He had seen Kourtnee first and how dare his lanky, big headed cousin try to steal her away from him.
Kourtnee sensed the tension between the two guys. She said, “I have to get to class. It was nice to meet you Martin. I’ll see you later Setrick.” She started walking off. Martin caught up to her. Kourtnee looked back for Setrick. He was standing on the sidewalk, looking mad.
Martin said, “Don’t worry about him. He’ll be okay. Mind if I walk you to class?” Kourtnee responded, “I usually walk to class by myself to get ready for class.” Martin flashed his long eyelashes at her and said, “If you tell me no, I will understand, but I sure would like to walk you to class.” He flashed those eyelashes again. Kourtnee smiled and said, “Ok, as long as you don’t talk a lot.” Martin said, “I can do that.” That was a lie because Martin talked the whole way. It was fine with Kourtnee, because Martin was very funny and he had her laughing the whole time.
They reached the Caffco Business building. Martin said, “I guess I didn’t keep my word.” Kourtnee smiled and said, “No, you didn’t keep your word.” Martin laughed loudly as he said, “You do talk in complete sentences.” Kourtnee said, “Yes, I do.” Martin said, “Can I meet you here after your class?” Kourtnee said, “Yes, if you want to. Don’t be late, because I will leave.” Martin saluted her as he said, “Yes, Mame.” Kourtnee smiled and said, “Goodbye, Martin. Thanks for walking me to class.” Martin said, “Goodbye, beautiful.” Kourtnee walked into the building smiling.
Kourtnee’s 8:00 marketing class was packed with about 25 students, when the professor walked into the room. Professor Walter Etherman was a tall, handsome, light skinned man. He had on a stylish tan suit. It was very fashionable. His ties and handkerchief match the suit completely. It was a nice ensemble. His wavy hair was combed expertly, down to the part in his head. It was a straight line. His expensive smelling cologne filled the room, engulfing the female students in a cloud of contemplation and surrounding the male students with extreme jealous and envy.
Professor Etherman cleared his throat. His deep melodic voice leaked each word from his mouth smooth and effortlessly. Professor Etherman passed out his syllabus. He began class after he talked about the class requirements, projects, assignments, and tasks. He spent the next hour talking about marketing with a passion that resonated to each of his students. By the end of class he was out of his suit jacket and his sleeves were rolled up.
Kourtnee left her marketing class to go wait outside for Martin. She waited for 5 minutes only to be disappointed when Martin did not show up. She left, dejected. She was upset with herself for being dejected. She should’ve known better than to expect him to show up after class.
Her next class wasn’t until 11:00 so she decided to go to the library and work on her class work from Marketing and to read her Chemistry book. The girl who had sat next to her in Business Statistics had said something about reading a chapter and doing homework before class. Kourtnee thought that she would do just that. Perhaps it would get her mind off of that lanky nut that had stood her up.
It was 9:33. Colt was late for the class. He was supposed to meet Dr. H. James Boone in the classroom for Chemistry 211. Dr. Boone was already in the classroom when Colt walked into the room. Dr. Boone was a stocky short man. He had long brown hair that was pulled back in a ponytail. He had on a pair of black slacks and a white shirt. He was greeting the students. After he greeted the students, he abruptly told Colt to pass out the syllabus to the students. Dr. Boone had a gruff voice. He spoke like he was mad at the world. He was nothing like Dr. Davis.
Colt sat down after he had completed his task. Dr. Boone showed no compassion for the students. He said, “I do not care whether you pass or fail my class. You can do what you want to do. If you do the work with some form of intelligence, then you will pass, if you don’t, then you want pass. I grade hard. I am not going to change my grading practices. I will not give any extra credit. No expectations whatsoever. I expect you to work hard in this class.” Colt felt sorry for the students. This was not going to be an easy class.
At 11:00 am, Kourtnee was seated in her Chemistry class. A short stocky man with a long brown ponytail entered the room. It was the professor, Dr. Boone. He called the class to order. His voice was curt and he seemed upset about something.
He passed out the syllabus. After he had past it out, he said, “I do not care whether you pass or fail my class. You can do what you want to do. If you do the work with some form of intelligence, then you will pass, if you don’t, then you want pass. I grade hard. I am not going to change my grading practices. I will not give any extra credit. No expectations whatsoever. I expect you to work hard in this class.”
He began his lecture. He spoke too quickly. He was going too fast. He seemed to get upset if someone asked a question. One student got upset and said, “Man, would you slow down?” Dr. Boone’s back was turned, so he didn’t see who said it. Dr. Boone asked that the coward who had blurted out in his class stand up. No one stood up. The guy next to Kourtnee, who happen to be the coward, looked at Kourtnee and pleaded with her not to tell his secret. Kourtnee put her head down and pretended to write. Dr. Boone exclaimed, “I want to know who said that!” No one told.
Dr. Boone went back to his lecture. He seemed to speed up. Almost every student in the class was frustrated. Kourtnee tried to take notes as best as she could. The guy next to her just stopped writing. He couldn’t keep up. Dr. Boone never turned around to face the class until he dismissed the class for the day.
The guy who sat next to Kourtnee caught up to her as she was leaving the room. He said, “Thanks for not saying anything.” Kourtnee resisted the urge to cover her nose because the guy’s breath was tart. She turned her head slightly away from the guy’s mouth and responded, “No problem. Someone needed to say something.” The guy maneuvered himself so that he was directly in Kourtnee’s face again. He said, “I hate to ask, but you seemed to be taking notes for the whole class. Do you think I could get a copy of your notes? My notes ain’t worth nothing.” Kourtnee felt sorry for the dude. She said, “Ok. Do you want to go to the library and make them now or do you want me to bring them on Thursday?” the guy looked like he was going to cry as he said, “You can bring them Thursday. Thanks again.” The walked off quickly. Kourtnee did the same. |
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