Resolution

A Short Story

By

E. Thornton Goode, Jr.

 Resolution

“Okay, folks. I’d like to thank you all for coming to

the monthly gathering of the WM Club town meeting.
Today, we want to cover the lunch program for the school in
September and the river. The river water level is really low
due to the lack of rain and it will impact our drinking as well
as any recreational use. Here it is the beginning of summer
and I don’t think it’ll get better.”

“But before we get into those subjects, Marvin asked

me if he could speak on a subject that definitely affects all of
us. It’s always been a problem and there’s never been a
resolution. He has an idea and wants to discuss it and get
any feedback. So, let me turn the floor over to Marvin.”

“Good afternoon, folks. Have to say I’ve been

thinking about this for some time. Several incidences have
prompted me to come up with a possible answer. I mean, it
was a week ago. I was swimming down in the cove when a
group of people drove up and got out of their car. They were
all in bathing suits. They had all their stuff for a picnic and
piled everything on and near the main picnic table there.
One of the men started the grill.”

“One big guy left the group and headed into the cove.
I watched him, swimming out when someone in the group
started yelling out at him. Telling him to look and get out.
Everyone started screaming and yelling, pointing at me. I’ve
never heard such cursing and ugly words.”

“He stopped swimming out, turned and saw me. He

started back to shore, flailing and splashing. I thought he
was going to drown, so I swam to help him. But he got
worse and everyone screamed louder and started throwing
rocks at me. When he got to the shore, they all grabbed up
their stuff, piled it in the car and drove away. There I was,
all by myself, swimming in the cove. I knew something had
to be done about the situation.”

“Now, since the Fourth of July is in a week, I have a

plan. Before all those people arrive at the picnic ground, I’m
going to get there early, get up on the main picnic table and
be ready to greet them. When they arrive, come to the picnic
area and see me, I’m going to jump up and open my mouth
in a big grin and smile. I’ll have brushed my teeth good and
gargled, so my teeth will gleam in the sun. There will be no
mistake I mean business at making sure I want to discuss the
problem we’ve had forever. I’m so tired of them, treating us
like we have leprosy or something. And maybe there will be
peace, understanding and tranquility and we’ll resolve this
issue of fear and mistrust. Then, they’ll see us differently
and end the discrimination. The walls separating us for so
long will come down.”

“Thank you all for listening to me. If you have any

suggestions or words of encouragement, please chat with me
after the meeting. Thank you. I’ll turn the meeting back
over to Bob, so the main issues can be discussed.”

* * * * *

“Hello, everyone. Here it is the last week in August.

Sorry, we haven’t had a meeting in over a month but you all
know the situation. It’s such a shame. Poor Marvin. You
know he went to the picnic ground on the morning of July
fourth. Larry went to accompany him but stayed back, not
wanting to disrupt Marvin’s plan. He saw the whole thing
happen. I’m going to let him tell you about it. Larry. Here.
Tell them.”
 “Yeah. I went with him. Marvin did just as he said
he would do. He worked real hard to look pleasant, sitting
there on the picnic table. Finally, around nine-thirty, a whole
bunch of cars drove up and a ton of people got out. They all
headed to the picnic area. I guess a bunch of them were
about ten feet from the table when Marvin jumped up and
smiled at everyone. That’s when all hell broke loose.”

“They were all screaming and yelling and running.

Several of the men ran to their cars and trucks. Marvin
jumped up again and smiled but it just seemed to make
things worse. The men returned with shotguns and started
shooting. I know Marvin was hit at least five times. It was
awful. I turned and raced away for fear they might come
after me. It was terrible. Horrible. Blood everywhere. I do
know they all quickly packed up again and left the picnic
area immediately and didn’t return. It was murder.
Unprovoked murder. Where’s the justice?”

“The mortician said Marvin was so messed up and

disfiguring, they had to have a closed coffin service. Marvin
left behind his wife and four kids. The kids have been
talking about revenge and finding those people and killing
them. And so, the issue of misunderstanding continues. No
resolution. What can I say? Well. Let me turn the meeting
back over to Bob. Thank you for letting me say my piece.”

“You’re welcome, Larry. Yes. You know the funeral

was so sad. Many attended to pay their respect. We’re
selling some pullover shirts in various colors. The WM Club
thought it a nice tribute of support to proclaim who we are
and to be proud of who and what we are. And we have
rights, too. They come in white, blue, pink, orange and
violet. I don’t recommend the white as it gets dirty too
easily.”

“And here. Let me show you how easy it slips over

my head and fits snug around the neck which means it won’t
slip off easily. We can and should wear the shirts proudly.
And notice the bold black lettering on the back. So easy to
read. ‘WE ARE WATER MOCCASINS’.”

THE END

Okay. I must confess. This writer has a huge fear of

them and all things like them. But I thought it might be
interesting to look at this from ‘their’ point of view. I hope
you enjoyed it and maybe made you chuckle.

Thornton Goode