Fanon:Intro to Simasota County: 10 Years Later

“Sweet home Alabama... Where the skys are so blue... Sweet home Alabama... We'll be comin' home to you” plays the radio in the Smyth's family sedan as they pass over the bridge, “Yay, we're in Grandma's town!” says a young child in the back seat. It's a typical day in Pleasantview, the home town of Angela Pleasant-Smyth and Cody's mother Nicole, and the young family is heading home following the death of Lisa Smyth, Cody's grandmother. “Wheeel wheeel wheeel wheeel” goes a cop car zooming by, and “I hate what's happened to this place, it used to be so peaceful” says Angela to her husband.” “Thank's Mr. President, for what you've done to our great nation” Cody replied. “We need more politicians like your sister.” “Remember when that used to be a little boutique, and that used to be a little plaza with the grocery store and gaming store?” said Angela as they pass what is now a restaurant and an abandoned, graffiti marked plaza. “Times sure have changed. I can't believe the only stores here now are Winn-Dixie, Nookington's, and H&M.” “There's a Publix not far from here” said Cody. “Yeah, but they don't have what we need today at the grocery stores. We should have stopped at the Navy Exchange before we headed off base.” Angela replied.



“Can I play with the toys? Pleeeeeeaaaaaase?” says the couple's little boy as they pull into the parking lot of the Pleasantview Nookington's. “No!” said Angela. “BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM” goes the speakers of another car in the parking lot. A seemingly familiar rugged looking man is conversing with a young, nicely dressed and appearing out of place pregnant woman, the woman saying to him “you can't be begging customers for money or you're going to have to find another home” and the man calls out “hey, that's my girlfriend over there, Angela!” The pregnant woman, tells the man “I don't think so, see she obviously has a family” and then says to Angela “I'm sorry ma'am, is he bothering you?” “Dustin?” asks Angela, saying to the woman, “it's okay, he was my boyfriend in high school, I haven't seen him in 10 years but don't hurt him,” then tells a disgusted looking Cody “I love you babe, there's nothing' between me and that man.” The pregnant woman sighs and says “My name is Melissa Blackwater and I am the store manager here at this store. I try to avoid having to hurt people, contrary to what some people think.” Angela asks Dustin “So how have you been?” and he answers “I'm okay, Miss. Blackwater here is very nice to me and...” and Melissa interrupts “Dustin is homeless and I let him sleep here as long as he stays out of trouble and doesn't cause problems. He helps keep my parking lot clean and chases the spray painting teenagers away so that my N-A-P doesn't have to do it. I give him and some of the other homeless people around here some of the leftover food from the restaurant and from the bakery, corporate doesn't exactly like it, but I don't care, I'd rather give it to them than throw it away. He's been a good boy lately, staying clean...” “Clean?” asked Angela and Melissa answered “He has a heroin problem. And he knows while I'm a nice person I don't put up with any nonsense and I'll call the cops if he brings any of that stuff around my store. God I hate this neighborhood.” and Angela proceeds with her family into the store.



A gust of air hits the young family as they walk through the sliding doors, and “The days go by, like a strand, in the wind, in the web that is my own, I begin again. Said to my friends, baby, nothin' else mattered. He was no more... than a baby then... Well he seemed broken hearted... something within him... At that moment... when I first laid... eyes... on... him... All alone at the Edge of... Seventeen...” sings Stevie Nicks on the In Store Broadcasting Network. “I'm going to go grab a cup of coffee, do you want one?” Angela asked her husband. “Sure babe” said Cody. Angela heads over to the barista to place their order as her husband ventures into the store with the kids.



As she places their orders, she notices a red headed girl wearing cheerleading uniform from Port Simasota High School, and it reminds her of herself, being a cheerleader at that school. “Click click click” goes the sound of the cheerleader's smartphone, as she sends text messages, looking up and concentrating very closely on a boy. He walks past the checkouts, and then past her, she starts to follow him and Angela says to the barista, “How does he not even notice that pretty girl there?,” and the barista replies “I know, she's pretty good. Do you know her?” and the cheerleader says to the young boy “Asset protection, you need to come with me!”Angela's mouth drops a little as she realizes what is going on, and in a smart aleck tone, the boy keeps walking and says “I'm not gonna stop, what are you gonna do white h*?” and she says again “sir, you need to come with me”, grabs him, he tries to jerk away and run, then she tackles him, inches away from the door. “Bing bong bing bong bing bong bing bong” goes the anti-theft alarm, and “GET OFF OF ME YOU ***** I'M GONNA **** YOU UP” exclaims the boy as the cheerleader holds him down on the ground. Melissa Blackwater comes to help, shakes her head, puts her foot on him and says “stop trying to resist, you're not going to get away” to the boy. Two Simasota County Sheriff cars pull up right to the door. Nicks' song continues to play “The clouds.. never expected.. when it rains... but the sea... changes colors.. but the sea.. does not change... So with the slow... Graceful flow... Of age... I went forth with and age old... Desire... To please... On the edge of... Seventeen..” and “ Dispatch to district 6, citizens report a suspicious person on block 50 of Road To No Where BEEEP” plays the police radio as two deputies run in and handcuff the lad. “**** YOU COPS” exclaims the boy, squirming and kicking, and one deputy says, in a thick southern accent, “Quit squirming son or I'll charge you with resisting arrest” and the cheerleader said, to them “Oh, by the way, he called me a w***e.” The deputy said “You called Powder Puff a w***e? Didn't your mother ever teach to have respect for the ladies? Here, maybe this will teach you...” and “NOOOOO, DON'T TAZE ME OFFICER.... AHHHHHHHH!” exclaimed the boy. “Just like the white winged dove sings a song sounds like she's singing...” plays the radio.



The scene, hauntingly familiar to Angela, gives the young mother goosebumps, as she remembers back to the day her life changed forever, when she went to Nookington's with her high school flame, and in a flood of tears, came out in handcuffs. “Ma'am, your coffees are ready” said the barista. Angela's full attention was on the scene being made, on one hand, as a victim of police brutality herself at the same store chain, she wanted to say something in protest of police brutality, on the other hand, as a former cheerleader herself, she wanted to kick the boy herself for calling the young asset protector/(former) cheerleader a bad name. She grabbed the coffees and found her husband. They checked out, and “Hey, I just met you... and this is crazy... but here's my number... so call me maybe” sings Carly Rae Jepsen on the In Store Broadcasting Network as they head for the door with their purchases.



They leave the store with cart full of purchases and in the parking lot the disrespectful lad who had stolen is being pushed into the back of a Sheriff car, the deputy says “useless piece of scum” and “Attention all units, shots fired shots fired Woodland Park, civilians reportedly down” can be heard from the officer's dispatch radio and he says "Ten four, I'm en route," taking off in a hurry, muttering “d*** it I just wish I could have a donut.” The Smyths get in their car, and they take off goes the engine as they take off for the home where Cody spent countless weekends with Grandma and Grandpa. They take Lakeside Drive to Sim Lane, passing The Goth's mansion, once so open and homey, now surrounded by security walls, cameras, alarms, and friendly but protective pitbulls. Angela's childhood home right across the street from Cody's grandparents' home, is now vacant following foreclosure, has been looted and vandalized by neighborhood street gangs, and bears a sign “Thomas Nook Real Estate” with local gang signs painted over top of it. “Cody, someday we should buy my family's old house and fix it up.” says Angela, as a Simasota Sheriff pulls up to the house to arrest a kid for spray painting it. “Do you really want to live here, and raise our kids here?” asks Cody. “Well, it's really not far from the base, it's in the same school district even, and wouldn't it be cool for them to grow up in the same neighborhood we grew up in?” Angela replied. With a smile on his face, Cody replied “You grew up here, but I only came here to visit my grandparents. I grew up on base. This isn't the same neighborhood we knew and loved. But you're still the same girl across the street to me and if you really want to move back here, I will find a way to make it happen because I love you Angela. Even though you are a little nuts sometimes.”