Bittersweet, Were her Kisses! (Chapters: 7 & 8))

Ms Lopez, Johnny, and Lee (1968-69) 7




Apartments by the Cathedral (by Summit Street)



At first, Lee had doubts about dating a Mexican, back in those days, in St. Paul, it was unheard of almost, not so much because she had bronze skin (although that could surely become an issue), perhaps more so because they had a reputation of being dirty, and lived on the West Side of the city, it was the same with blacks, they did not date one another freely with whites, and there was a small section of blacks over on Rondo Street.
Seldom did you find a Mexican family in the North End part of the city, and Ms Lopez was perhaps the only one daring enough to venture into unproven territory; or that part of the city, and now Lee and Johnny Lowery, were living in an apartment off Cathedral Hill (Lee had moved from his one room apartment, on York Street), by the Capitol, next to the North End.
Ms Lopez, she seemed seriously attracted to him, and she was pretty, with a squeak in her voice, that was cute. During this time they saw a lot of each other, and Lee never brought up Greg to Johnny, because he was sure he would not be supportable, why should he, he was a first Cousin to him. Johnny was the same age as Lee, and they had fought a few years earlier, and Lee had won the battle, but had to concede he won, in fear of reprisals of the clan, as Johnny and Lee had ran off into the woods to settle the fight away from the others. Lee was cleaver, enough to figure out, should he continued to fight Johnny in front of the gang, and a few of his relatives he’d be ripped apart by the gang if indeed he was becoming the better man. And so Johnny suggests this, and they walked back together, talking like to chums. It was a matter of pride to have to fight. Neither Johnny or Lee wanted to fight one another, but the gang egged them on, knowing they were the same height, age; but Lee was twice as strong, and like a bull, he was but fifteen then.
So they remained allies, in that capacity, and lived together by the Cathedral (and in years to come, would travel to California together); a grand Cathedral, with perhaps the largest pillars in the world. He figured if Sandy was around he’d date her off and on, she was not showing up much, and in-between, Ms Lopez would do. This was a little different relationship though, because she cooked for him, sloppily but cleans, most of the time. In a way it was a luxury he did not have to spend a mint on her, and during this time, Jerry from the dojo was hounding him to go to San Francisco, to meet the Great Yamaguchi family, who had an international dojo there, and study Karate from the most impressive instructor in the world (and eventually he would, and his instructor would be Goshi Yamaguchi, and his father Gogen, otherwise known as ‘The Cat’.))Goju-Kai Karate))



The Meeting of Greg (1985) 8


Lee had learned to come to the point at this time of his life, and so he did with Greg, when he met him accidentally, walking down Rice Street, St. Paul, Minnesota, 1985; it had been close to eighteen years since he had that fight on Indians Mound with him. He didn’t recognize him at first, but he stopped, when the man asked, “Lee Stone, remember me, the beer bottle?” Then it dawned on him. “I still don’t know why you had to use a beer bottle on me; you could have beaten me with your fists.”
And so Lee came to the point, too much forethought or preparation, its purpose was to obvious from the first, so he said,” You were trying to rape a girl, and slapped her around, seventeen years old, never a merciful thought about that, how about her scares, you left her some you know, and her mother was grateful!” (A few seconds passed)—but I suppose between the two, the tension seemed endless (Lee maintained an ever, held voice, not a trace of self-betraying in any form of expression, He tried to be sensitized to his mind for the blow, when he finished there was a silence (he knew Greg was not sorry for what he did, just sorry he didn’t get away with it.)

At all events, nothing happened in that little conformation—yet Lee was guarded during it, he took a long look into his eyes, wanted to move on, it was useless to talk to him, but remained stone still for the moment.
This was still the old Greg, the one he knew so long ago, thought Lee, the un-reflected, flippant boy he kicked the shit out of, so many years ago. And he did not dare turn his back on him too long. In a way Lee felt, if not looking modestly dissatisfied, perhaps he would want to resettle things with round two (better put, get even), you know, fist to fist, kick to kick, and so forth and on. But Greg didn’t show that, so it was pointless for Lee to become an offensive fighter, when he was really a defensive one. And there was no sense in provoking, unless provoked, and so with a timid, but cheerfulness he ventured onward.


(Thoughts)) As Lee thought about this, walking away from Greg, for Greg had said what he needed to say, perhaps, wanting to say for a long time; and for Lee there wasn’t really nothing in the world back then but living, life and youth, everyone held on to it. And to be afraid was to know there was blood in your veins, and to do what a man has to do was right. To have done nothing would have deaden him, he thought all this as he walked down Rice Street, away from Greg, never given that up, and was not about to. He didn’t expect him to see, but he should have known at this age, much more than he displayed, yet he hadn’t. As He glanced back, he really didn’t want to go to the party, for obvious reasons, this being one. Expressionless, he continued to walk down the street, passing McDonalds, and towards Maryland, watching the flickering of lights going on in the passing of cars, twilight was seeping in, when day and night meet, for just a moment, and then go their own ways, and the dark seeps over the light…then the light goes out like a blown out candle, completely gone, only the moon, and arc lights along the streets, left. ‘No,’ he told himself, it would be the same way had he to do it over I suppose, there is no time to stop and ask for advise in such matters, he had no one to fear.))