Chapter 2.A

When Saul had referenced Hank’s “less than reputable past,” he was talking about a small time frame where Hank had worked as an equalizer or peacekeeper, of sorts. Shortly after Hank had come home from the Army he was approached with the offer of a lot of money if he worked for one of the loan sharks in town. At first Hank had balked at the idea until he actually sat down and talked to the loan shark, who was known simply as Jimmy around the town. You see, criminals often go by aliases or refuse to give out their last names to people to make it harder for law enforcement to chase them or eventually prosecute them. Well there are lots of people named Jimmy, are you sure it was this Jimmy? That kind of thing.

Hank’s first blatant refusal to work for Jimmy didn’t dissuade him at all. Jimmy always took the “sweet” over the “sour” approach. So one night while Hank was out hunting for women, Jimmy found him and he offered to cover Hank’s bar tab if he would sit down and just listen to a more in-depth explanation of the job. Hank didn’t particularly like drinking, but in his mind you don’t turn down something that is free and there was no point in being rude while this guy was buying.

Jimmy had explained that what he did, while illegal, was a much-needed enterprise. Men in their small town gambled their money away at the local Indian casino from time to time. Then they used Jimmy’s loans to pay their bills until their next paychecks could come in, at which point they would set everything right. All the while keeping their wives in the dark about their tenuous financial situations, thanks to Jimmy of course. He didn’t advertise his business, only people in real need came to him and he had a pretty low-interest rate compared to any other loan shark in the area. The people he gave loans to had such terrible credit that they couldn’t get a loan anywhere else. Without Jimmy these people would be completely out of options, or forced to leverage some vital piece of their lives as collateral in a traditional loan... Yea, randomly using the family car as collateral… That’s the kind of thing that causes the wife to take the kids and stay at her bitch sister Linda’s house. Nobody likes Bitchy Linda.

Jimmy hated violence, and he hated blood. This is where Hank would come in. All Jimmy needed was for Hank to stand around and look big and scary. Not even on a full-time basis, just on occasion or when Jimmy knew he had a particularly tough customer coming in. Jimmy also promised that he would never send Hank to collect a debt. He simply needed his presence are the “office”. Hank had become somewhat of a local legend after his night at the lake where he kicked half the football teams ass, and there were whispers that Hank had done some pretty dark deeds when he was with the military. Jimmy needed Hank’s folklore legend to protect his investments, and to stop the local idiots from trying something stupid.

Hank begrudgingly agreed to take Jimmy’s job on a trial basis under the implication that he would leave if things weren’t above board, well as above board as an illegal loan shark business could be. Jimmy and Hank were polar opposites. While Hank was tall, handsome, muscular, blonde, and quiet. Jimmy was of average height, had a very average face with a nose that you could tell had been broken one too many times. Jimmy’s hair was jet black and long, tied back into a ponytail most of the time. Jimmy was also skinny as a bean pole and loved to talk, which drove an even sharper contrast between him and Hank, since Hank was a man of such few words.

Despite their differences Hank soon found himself becoming fast friends with Jimmy. As long as Hank made sure Jimmy was safe, Jimmy didn’t really care what Hank did. So Hank mostly found himself with a bar-floozy or two in his lap, stroking his giant muscles, or something else on occasion. Hank eventually became such an outlet in Jimmy’s office that Jimmy had a top of the line weight bench installed for him. When people originally heard that Hank was Jimmy’s new muscle they couldn’t wait to pay their outstanding debts. The mere thought of having Hank break your legs made most debtors come running back to Jimmy, begging to pay in full. Hank was good for business. Hank didn’t cause problems or get drunk, and Hank’s motivations were clear: he liked beautiful women, and getting bigger. These things were easy for Jimmy to provide.

Male friendship was a new concept for Hank. The same reasons that made most men hate Hank or feel uncomfortable around him, just made Jimmy like Hank more. It became more than just a business relationship for them both, a friendship was born out of trust and mutual respect. Hank respected Jimmy because of the way he ran his business. Jimmy never went out of his way to hurt people and he only hurt people who really deserved it. Much in the same way that Hank had to hurt Eugene that night at the lake. Some people don’t want to learn until you give them a few bumps and bruises. Jimmy could see the dark intellect hiding behind Hanks mounds of muscles, and Hank knew it. This also made Hank like Jimmy, he enjoyed people that saw him as more than just a slab of meat.

All of this came to a screeching halt when Hank’s dad got sick. Old Agent Orange had finally caught up with him, along with whatever other medical evils lurked in the humid jungles of Vietnam. The symptoms built up quickly in Hank’s father and knocked a once thriving and tanned workhorse down to a husk of what he once was. He was moved from the hospital back to his small house that tucked neatly into the back of the gravel yard, and was quickly put on in-home hospice care. Hank had to keep skipping more and more shifts at Jimmy’s to take care of his father or just to spend time with him. Jimmy understood and even picked up the tab for most of the hospital bills.

One of the nights that Hank sat next to his father in the hospital bed that hospice had moved into their house, his father had pulled him close. Hank stared deep into his father's face, noticing the sunken cheeks, the pallid skin, and the rheumy eyes. He knew his father had only days left to live. When he was close enough his father whispered something to him, something important.

“Hank, I bought this land and started this business for you. I took all of the money I earned in the military and I built this business from the ground up. So I would have something to leave behind, for you. My father, your grandfather, he didn’t do this for me. You see, I swore I wouldn’t repeat the same mistakes that my father made with me. I tried to raise you right Hank. In a harsh world where people are chewed up and spit out, I made a rock and a man of morals. Don’t stop being who you are. Stand up for what you believe in and never let anyone push you around.” His father had to stop to take a few deep breaths of pure oxygen from a mask he had tied to one of the rails on the bed. Hank patiently waited for his father to continue. When his father looks a little calmer he continued.

“Use this business that I built to finance a good life for yourself. If you run it right it can provide jobs for the people in this town who need them, and it can uplift our family for generations. Don’t spoil this gift. Lastly, you should have a child. It has been my greatest honor to have you in my life, to watch you grow. To know that our family will continue on. I know that girl Suzie hurt you something fierce son, but it’s time to open your heart again. If you really can’t do that then there is always adoption right? Raise a good person, the world needs more good people.”

Hank’s father had to stop and cough into a handkerchief. When he pulled it away from his mouth Hank could see there was blood on it. Hank’s father stared at him and waited, Hank got the cue.

“Yes father, I will,” said Hank, his father smiled.

Hank stayed sitting at this father’s bedside most of the night, just remembering all of the good things that his father had taught him and showed him through the years. Hank was staring at his father's gaunt face and remembering the wily Army combat veteran that had amazed him, inspired him, and shown him a love that other children would never know. Around 3am Hank heard a strange noise around the front door of their house. His father had heard it too in a rare moment of lucidity, they both didn’t speak. Being veterans they knew to stay quiet and keep the element of surprise. Hank gave his father the hold symbol with his fist, meaning that his father should stay in bed. His father nodded. Hank’s father's room was the only room in the house with a light on it so when he went into his living room it was pitch black, he backed into a corner and waited for his night vision to adjust as he listened to the strange scratching like sound at his front door.

Hank had eyes on his front door from his position. As soon as he felt his eyes adjust to a point he was comfortable with he noticed the deadbolt on his front door slowly slide into the “open” position. Then his door handle started to jiggle and he heard the scratching noise again. Hank realized what was happening, someone was picking his locks! They had already got the deadbolt, all they had to do was pick the door handle and they would be in his home. That meant the person was likely on their knees outside with their hands full for at least a few more seconds. Hank considered for a brief second going to get one of his father’s guns, but he was just too angry at that point, and he knew the lockpicker would be off guard. Hank quietly moved over to the front door and then ripped it open. Sure enough, there was a man in a full black balaclava knelt down in front of his door, with a lockpick set in his hands.

Hank quickly realized his mistake when he saw the man behind the lock-picker pointing a gun at his chest. Hank grabbed the one on his knees and held him in front of him like a shield as the gunman opened fire. Hank felt a burning in his chest and knew he hadn’t been quick enough, he’d been hit. He also felt round after round smack into the man he was holding up in the air who had a very distinct look of fear and pain on his face. Hank heaved the man he was holding as hard as he could toward the gunman. Hank’s massive strength sent his impromptu projectile right on target and the men collided. The one who had been shooting lost his gun during the collision and Hank saw it skitter across the gravel in the front of his house.

Hank took one look at the gun and the gunmen knew Hank could get to it first. So instead of going for it, the gunman opted instead to try and run away from Hank. Hank considered retrieving the gun from the gravel and killing the man, but he wanted answers. He quickly looked around the doorway of his house for something to use, his eyes landed on the old antique wooden coat rack that his father had picked up somewhere. He grabbed the coat rack and sprinted after the escaping shooter. The shooter was skinny and was quickly losing Hank, so Hank did the only thing he could do. He ripped the few hats and coats off the rack and then threw it like a spear. Hank’s strength more than made up for the lack of aerodynamics on the coat rack and it flew true. It struck hard directly in the middle of the gunman’s back and sent the man face first into the rock-infused dirt of the gravel yard.

Hank caught up to the man who was holding his arm, which was bent at a very unnatural angle. The man saw Hank coming and tried to play the victim.

“You broke my arm!”

“Don’t be a pussy. Besides you shot me, I think we are even,” said Hank as he rubbed his hand around the new hole in his chest checking to see if it was bleeding and how bad it was.

“Now, tell me why you are here before I break a broom handle off in your ass.”

“You are Jimmy’s main muscle. We have to take you out so Jimmy won’t have no protection. It’s just a job man, it’s nothing personal.”

“Right, well have fun spending the rest of your life in prison. I hear they make great cock-meat sandwiches there, I bet you will love the taste.”

Hank roughly grabbed the man and dragged him by the collar on his jacket back to his father’s house. That man whimpered and tried to keep his broken arm from bouncing around too much. Hank knew the man was in an extreme amount of pain, but when you play stupid games, you win stupid prizes. And attacking Hank is ALWAYS a stupid game. Once Hank was inside he yelled back to his father that the house was clear and that he was okay. His first call was to Jimmy to warn him that men were in town to kill him. Jimmy picked up on the first ring and didn’t interrupt as Hank explained the situation. Jimmy thanked Hank profusely, but Hank told him he had to go. The urge to kill the man who had shot him was real, but he would honor his father's wishes and try to be a good man. So he called the police next.