Dead End pt. 1

The new series of the tale of a crooked lawyer and a rouge FBI agent with schemes and secrets

There was a African American man named Darius Johnson he was born December 8, 1963 in

Watts, California. His father is an activist named Fred Johnson who travels to local churches and his

Mother named Betty Johnson is a middle school teacher who teaches in an all-black segregated school. In 1968 Darius is now five years old. One night he and his parents look out the window of their house and see people rioting with buildings in flames and police cars in a melee with the rioters. Betty picks up Darius and clutches him in her arms. Fred runs into his bedroom and grabs clothes out his wardrobe and packs it in brown suit cases. They all flee the house when shortly after they run out the door a brick smashes through the living room window. One month later they move into a suburban neighborhood with green grass and white picket fences. Darius sits on the curb of the sidewalk and looks around at the neighborhood. He gets up and takes his bicycle out of the garage and rides it a few blocks down the street. While he rides he looks around and sees groups of young black males on each side of the street walking together dressed in black leather coats and wearing fedora hats. He becomes fascinated and stops his bike and looks around more at the people in that other part of the neighborhood and sees young black females wearing dresses and carrying school books. He smiles and raises his eye brows. He gets back on his bike and continues to ride down another block down the remaining street. This time he sees Cadillac cars and a Stutz. Then he sees men in fur coats holding canes and making trades with selifan bags for cash money. After the men make their exchange they walk across the street and go into a social club. Darius puts his bike down and peaks through the door of the social club and sees men and women rolling dice at a table and in the corner the same men wearing the fur coats trade revolvers and knives on a small table. Then he sees a man in a two piece suit walk towards the door. Before the man opens the door Darius runs back to his bike and rides back home. When he walks into the house his parents sit beside each other in the living room. “Darius get your bible, it’s time to read the Holy Scripture” says Fred. They all sit at the kitchen table while Fred reads out loud the verses from Psalm 23. Betty puts on her reading glasses sitting across from Fred. Darius looks down at the bible and imagines himself on that street where he saw those people and sees himself driving a black Cadillac with that school girl in the dress sitting in the passenger seat next to him. Betty looks up at Darius and sees him zone out. “Darius, pay attention” said Betty. He looks back down at the bible and searches with his finger at where they left off in the reading. That night when Darius goes to sleep he looks out of his window and looks up at a full moon in the sky. 13 Years Later Los, Angeles California.

Darius walks down the street in the South Central neighborhood with two other male teenagers. “I heard you got accepted into UCLA Darius, what’s up with that” asked Ray. “My dad helped me get a scholarship” replied Darius. “What are you studying for” asked Tyrone. “I was thinking about being a lawyer or engineer but I’m not trying to be no preacher” says Darius. Tyrone and Ray both laugh. “You know you got too much religion in your family” remarked Ray. “You know that’s true” said Tyrone. “Hey Darius we’re going to a party tonight and why don’t you come too college boy” suggested Ray. “What time” asked Darius. “It doesn’t matter what time it just depends on when you show up” says Tyrone. “Alright I’ll be there” said Darius. Later on that night at the party the house is crowded from the inside and outside. Tyrone and Darius walk into the front yard through the gate and squeeze by all the crowd of people dancing. “Look at all the girlies” shouted Tyrone. They both make it to the porch of the house and go inside. “Follow me” Tyrone says to Darius. They both walk in the kitchen and each get a red solo cup. Tyrone puts his drink in the air and yells out “Stop the music, I’d like to propose a toast my boy Darius, he’s going to college”! Everybody at the party cheers for him and they all raise their cups up for him. “Thanks man” said Darius under his breathe. Ray comes in the kitchen and looks

at Darius. “Come on now Darius this is your night, you need to talk to one of these females” says Ray. Darius smiles and takes a sip of his drink. “Let’s get back to the party” said Tyrone. The music plays louder and everybody goes back to dancing. Darius walks around sipping his drink more and more until he sees this girl outside leaned up against the gate talking with two other girls. He walks outside and approaches her. “Hey ladies” says Darius. They all look at him and wave their hands. He looks at the girl he saw from the inside. “What’s your name” asked Darius. “Tracy” replied the girl. The two other girls walk away and join the other people dancing in the yard. “And your name is” asked Tracy. “I’m Darius” he replied. “Are you the one going to UCLA” asked Tracy. “Yeah, so you heard about” asked Darius. “That’s what everybody’s been talking about” says Tracy. “I guess so” said Darius sarcastically. “Are you excited about it” asked Tracy. “I kind of am, are you enjoying yourself tonight” asked Darius. “Yeah, it’s about time we had a decent party for some type of good cause” replied Tracy. “You doing anything after the party” asked Darius. After the party Darius and Tracy sneak into the window of his bedroom. He picks her up by the waist and helps her climb through the window. After she gets in he jumps through it head first. Then he gets up off the floor and turns the lights on. Tracy walks up to him and kisses him on the lips. He responds by kissing her back and then they both lock their lips tightly and continue to repeat it over and over. Darius moves his head lower and starts to kiss her on the neck. Then he picks her up and lays her down on his bed and takes his shirt off. The next day he wakes up and looks on the other side of his bed and sees nothing but wrinkled sheets and his window wide open. He sits up and gets out of bed and puts a bath robe on. One month later in the afternoon he sits at the kitchen table of the house and studies out of a S.A.T. book. In the kitchen the telephone rings and Betty walks up to it and answers. “Hello” asked Betty. “Is Darius there” asked the caller. “Yes, who’s this” asked Betty. “It’s Tyrone” revealed the caller. “Hold on a minute” says Betty. She looks at Darius. “Your friend Tyrone wants to talk to you" she said. Darius closes the book and puts his pen down and gets up. Betty hands him the phone and walks out of the kitchen. “Hey Tyrone” says Darius. Tyrone sits beside his bed on the phone in his room. “I don’t know if you know yet but after you left the party with that girl Ray left too but nobody seen him afterwards, have you” asked Tyrone. Darius scratches his head. “No I haven’t, I wonder what he was doing” says Darius. “I don’t know but I’m just calling everybody to check if they seen him lately” said Tyrone. “That’s why I keep telling everybody that we all need to stop playing around and act like we have some sense once in a while” replied Darius. “Look man I know all that but for now we got to think about Ray” says Tyrone. “Well I just want to let you guys know that I don’t like where you guys hang out sometimes because it doesn’t you cool and stupid stuff like this happens” complained Darius. “Look man you don’t have to act like my daddy I was just asking if seen Ray around” replied Tyrone. “Why do you think I left early with that girl last night in the first place” asked Darius angrily. He hangs up the phone and sits back down at the table and opens the book back up. Fred and Betty both come in the kitchen and approach Darius. “Son your mother and I are going to another speech engagement” says Fred. “Okay pop” replied Darius. They both walk out of the kitchen and leave the house. Darius flips back to the page where he left off and continues to write with his pen. Fred and Betty both walk inside a community center downtown. Betty sits in the front row in front of a podium. Fred stands behind the podium and watches as more and more people come in and form an audience in the room. Then he picks a microphone and switches it on. “The reason we are gathered here tonight are two reasons” announced Fred. Two more people walk in and join the audience. One is a police officer and the other is a minister wearing a clerical collar. “First I would like to thank the entire guest and supporters who’ve shared their time to be with us tonight and what I want to talk about first tonight is the way of overcoming” says Fred. Betty looks up at him and nods her head in agreement. “My wife and I who is sitting up front are not originally from here but we’ve seen the potential of madness that can happen and how I know this is because me, my wife, and son seen a race riot right in front of our door step and like many other moments in this part of history it drove us and many others out of their homes” explained Fred. “I’m not saying that where me nor my wife is from was any better but that night spoke to me and made a change as I was packing clothes out of my own wardrobe and rushing to protect my own family and those two reasons are potential self-justice and senseless anarchy that’s not just political but within each and every one of us” described Fred. One of the spectators up front raises their hand. “Yes” asks Fred. “Did you and your family get hurt from the incident” asked the spectator. “If we didn’t move the way we did then we would of” answered Fred. Back at the house there’s a knock on the door. Darius gets up once again and answers the door. Tracy stands there on the door step with a tear in her left eye. “What’s a matter Tracy” asked Darius. She sniffles and rubs her eyes. “Can I come in” asked Tracy. “Yeah come in” said Darius. He moves aside and lets her in. They both sit on the couch in the living room. “What happened” asked Darius. She looks up at him. “I’m pregnant” says Tracy. Darius’ face freezes in silence and slightly twitches.