Chapter 2

Grandma Sofia had lived in the same neighborhood, in the same house that her "nice man" had brought her to when they first married. While going about her life's work, raising a large and loving family, most of whom relocated to other parts of the country, that neighborhood, as have so many over time, slowly declined as age and economic fortune dealt it some nasty blows. While the immediate area around Grandma Sofia's house stayed relatively clean and well kept up, in large part because of her and her family's influence, the larger area it was included in slid into disrepair and started attracting a harder, more economically desperate population.

Grandma Sofia's children and grandchildren occasionally asked her if she wanted to move in with them and live in one of the newer, nicer areas that they had relocated to, but she resisted leaving the house she had lived in with the love of her life, raised her children, and celebrated and mourned so many of the important events of her life. Vladic visited there frequently out of love and duty, and also because underneath that imposing grandma exterior still lurked the hell raising younger version of herself. He told her he often wondered if he would ever meet anyone enough like her to consider getting married, to which she replied that she suspected that he lacked judgment.

On one of his visits, Grandma Sofia informed him that she was starting a drive to create a neighborhood watch program and had been nagging the local police and community leaders to pay more attention to crime in her area.

"There are some evil souls around this area now Vladic. I see them when I go to my store or laundry or pick up my Chinese takeout. I want them to be evil elsewhere, preferably in jail." She said.

"You still eat Chinese takeout from that local place?" He asked

"I see you still pick out the important things in any conversation." She retorted. "And how is your sex life these days, grandchild?"

"If it was any better I might die of excess, grandma, and thank you for that wonderful gift, again."

And they left it there, just a mention of local problems. Vladic was sure that given time Grandma Sofia would clean up the neighborhood to her satisfaction and life would continue on.

One morning about a month later Vladic was setting in the breakfast nook of his home drinking his morning coffee. The phone rang, with caller ID showing that it was Uncle Lech. Vladic had once, and only once, called him Uncle Condom, but after that misunderstanding had been sorted out they had had a fine relationship. Vladic picked up the phone looking forward to speaking to him.

"Hello, Uncle Lech! How are you?" He said.

A long pause greeted him, followed by a deep inward breath.

"Vladic. There is no easy way to tell you this. Last night my mother Sofia was murdered." Uncle Lech replied.

Uncle Lech filled his shocked silence with a teary recitation of what information was available. Grandma Sofia had gone to the local Chinese takeout place to pick up a dinner for her and some of the other local neighborhood watch ladies for a planning session they were having at her house. When she went outside to her car she was confronted by five young men who began angrily shouting at her, accusing her of interfering with their business and causing them trouble with the police. She had given as good as she got, calling them evil little slugs and telling them she fully intended to run them out of her neighborhood. Witnesses overheard the yelling but could not, or would not, identify the young men involved.

The evidence indicated that one of the young men grabbed her arm. He was lying dead in the county morgue with an apparent massive heart attack. Two others, by the blood evidence, appeared to have suffered severe cuts and possible broken bones. Unfortunately, one of the five must have been behind her and hit her with a hard long object like a tire iron, caving in her skull and killing her almost instantly.

By the end of the story Uncle Lech was crying freely. He let Vladic know that the family was gathering at Grandma Sofia's house to plan the funeral. He told Uncle Lech he would be leaving right away.

During the drive from his house to Grandma Sofia's home Vladic spent the entire time in emotional turmoil. He had loved that cantankerous old woman with all of his heart and soul. She, more than anyone else, had made him into the person he was. To have her ripped out his life before her time filled him with an unquenchable rage. He had to drive with extra care, so strong was the impulse to drag thoughtless fellow drivers out of their cars and pummel them. When he spotted drivers with particularly black glows he fought the urge to run them off the road and get rid of at least one evil person in the world.

Finally, he arrived, expecting a scene of mass chaos and grief as his large, loud family howled out their mourning. Instead he walked into a peaceful family scene, everyone working together to get things done, visiting with each other, taking time to get reacquainted and preparing to celebrate the life of their beloved matriarch.

As Vladic stepped into the loving embrace of his family he realized he was being given yet another gift of Grandma Sofia. She had spent her life molding her family to endure and prosper together. He could SEE the interplay of their energies helping each other through their grief and pain together.

"Damn, you did good, Sofia." He thought to himself. The little boy who had worried for her soul didn't need to worry any longer.

Vladic spent the next few days with his family, helping and being helped to get over their loss. He got a chance to visit with his still stunning part Chinese, part Sikh, part Eastern European cousin AND her husband and her three cute kids, including a precocious ten year old daughter named Sofia who took an instant liking to him.

Vladic was sitting in the living room in between visits with various relatives when the young Sofia came barreling in and climbed into his lap.

"Uncle Laddy?" She couldn't pronounce his name yet. "Can I ask you a question?" Sofia asked.

"Of course, honey, what do you want to know?" He replied.

"Why did you want your girl friends to call you Ladd the M-Pail-er?" She asked.

Vladic looked around the room and noticed everyone trying to hide a grin.

"Well, honey, it's kind of long and complicated story, so can I wait to tell you when you are a little older?" He asked.

"K" She responded with a child's indifference. She leaned close to him and whispered in his ear. "I like all the glows here now. Mommy and Daddy had strange glows coming here. It was scary. Daddy's only looks like that when he's mad."

Now there was a stunning new piece of news, although given the family anything could be possible.

He leaned down to her and also whispered. "Honey, you can see glows around people?"

She nodded.

"Have you told anyone else?"

She shook her head no.

"Can you see mine? What color is it?" He asked a little fearfully.

She nodded again. "You are pretty blue, Uncle Laddy. I like yours, even if you are an M-pail-er."

"How long have you seen glows?" He asked

"Not long."

"Honey, I can see glows too. Can you keep my secret? Just you and me?"

She looked up at him brightly. "YES, I'd like to have a grown up secret with you."

Vladic and Sofia talked about seeing glows over the next few days, him hoping that he gave her enough useful information to help her without getting too adult, her ecstatic to be able to share a real life adult type secret with the person who was rapidly becoming her favorite uncle.

Vladic's aunts and uncles called the local police and requested information about the progress of the investigation into their mother's death. Because of Grandma Sofia's neighborhood watch campaign the police were willing to send an officer and detective out to the house and discuss with case with the family. Unfortunately, not much was happening in the investigation so far. Yes, the dead member of the attackers was a known "associate" of a particular local gang and yes, the police knew who many of the other members were and yes, two other well known members of the gang had disappeared right after the incident and the police were unable to locate them but no one was willing to come forward and help identify the attackers or the murderer. The police had a lot of information but no physical evidence. Without that or a willing witness all they could do was keep harassing the gang hoping that someone would break.

The detective, named Orosco, said. "We have received the autopsy report on the one gang member who died of the heart attack. Unfortunately the autopsy can't explain WHY he died. It is very mysterious. Also, the blood evidence at the scene is from Mrs. Raczynski and two others but nothing at the scene gives an indication as to HOW the other two were injured. I apologize if this is too graphic. Mrs. R was a valued member of the community and will be missed. You have the deepest sympathy of the police department."

Vladic suspected he knew the answers to both of those questions but had no intention of sharing his thoughts with anyone.

The family got through the memorial service and the funeral and slowly disbursed back to their lives, leaving a gaping hole in the middle where Sofia had existed for so long. They carried the strength of the family back with them, swearing to help each other through their grief.

Vladic stayed on for a while to help some of his aunts and uncles finish disposing of grandma's belongings. He was still very sad and very angry but thought that he was holding up pretty well, considering.

One evening he took a trip down to the local Chinese takeout place to see the place where she had died. He knew it was like prodding a sore tooth with his tongue but couldn't shake the need to push at the pain.

It was an unremarkable parking lot between unremarkable buildings that serviced an unremarkable restaurant. He felt nothing of her there.

He was about to leave when he looked up and noticed three young men lounging at the far end of the lot. They were all looking at him. One, with one of the blackest glows he could remember, was smirking at him. The other two had glows of mostly black with very little in the way of blue in them and shot with streaks of anger.

Vladic's anger gripped him and in an act completely out of character with the rest of his life started striding forcefully across the lot toward them.

The smirker looked around and, seeing no one there to witness whatever happened, started walking toward Vladic with one hand behind his back. When they met in the lot he stopped, looked Vladic up and down, and snorted,

"You related to that old bitch that got herself killed here last week, buddy?"

"I'm not your buddy." Vladic replied seething inside at the evil creature facing him.

The smirk disappeared to be replaced with a look of feral hatred.

"No, you're not my buddy. In fact, you look a whole lot like a walking around dead guy. Grab him!" He said to the other two.

They had flanked him during the brief conversation and each reached out and grabbed an arm, pinning him between them.

Vladic's rage spiked even higher. He reached into the glow of the two men holding him and, using their own power, bound them to him so they couldn't move.

He looked that the smirker. "So you are one who killed my grandmother?" He asked.