May 6th, 2005Finally, the blog entry everyone's been waiting for. The true story and origin of...
The Justice Brothers.
The year was 1989, and the day was painfully hot. Walking home through the barren desert every day after school was NOT Gus and Jerry's idea of fun. But the school had sent a note home to their parents a few weeks ago which stated that "English tutoring after school would be beneficial to their grades". They understood that it was probably true. They were starting their second year in the United States, and their English was somewhere between poor and ultra poor.
Jerry was in 5th grade, and almost 6-inches taller than his younger brother Gus. Although later they would look completely different, in those years people would sometimes yell out, "Look mom! Twins". They were obviously not twins, but they had several similarities that made people think this. For one, they both wore mad-scientist-like large frame glasses, which covered up almost the entire top half of their faces. Their unruly brown hair was cut the same style, and was the same length because their father believed himself a barber. He did do a good job, though, especially considering "barbering" was not his chosen career path. They carried around identical backpacks, and usually wore similar jeans.
Walking home that day after their English Tutoring Class, the desert seemed abandoned, except for a small group of kids who seemed to be play-wrestling in the sand. As Gus and Jerry got closer, however, they realized that the situation was more serious than they had thought. They observed four boys pushing and shoving and pulling the hair of two blonde haired girls. They appeared to be sisters, as one of them was much shorter, and the taller one seemed to be trying to protect her. Gus and Jerry had intended to just go around the group, but when they realized what was happening, they both stopped in mid-step and turned towards the group. One of the boys, apparently the leader of the group, grabbed the older sister and kicked her between the legs. She fell down on her knees and began sobbing loudly. Gus and Jerry looked at each other for a split second, and then began walking slowly towards the group. They were scared, no doubt about it. But the scene they had just witnessed was unacceptable. Perhaps they had watched one too many superhero movies, or perhaps they knew what it felt like to be bullied. Whatever the reason, they began to walk towards the group with the full intention of stopping the boys from hurting the girls any further.
The boy who had kicked the older sister finally caught sight of Gus and Jerry from the corner of his eye, and turned to them.
"What are YOU looking at?" He said accusingly. The other boys turned their heads towards Gus and Jerry in surprise.
Gus was not sure what to do at this point, and looked to his older brother for guidance. Jerry knew exactly what he had to do. Without hesitation, Jerry placed his backpack down, took off his glasses, and set them down on top of his backpack. Glasses were expensive and he didn't want them broken during a fight. Gus followed his brother's actions, and did the same. The bullies realized this was going to turn into a fight, and they began to get nervous, even though they outnumbered their opponents 4 to 2.
To this day, nobody knows who threw the first rock, but all of a sudden, the desert became the setting for a furious rock fight. This was obviously not to the advantage of the two brothers, because they couldn't see a thing without their glasses. They were starting to think that maybe taking off their glasses was not a good idea. But it was too late, they had to continue. They threw rocks blindly into the blurry shapes of the boys 30 yards away. A large rock landed in front of Gus, rolled and hit Gus on the ankle bone. Gus wanted to cry out in pain and hold his stinging ankle, but that would mean letting the other boys know that he had been hurt. So he swallowed his pain and furiously threw more rocks...larger rocks.
Gus and Jerry had no idea if any of their rocks were hitting their targets, but a few minutes later the boys began to retreat up a hill. This was a strategy move...because now they'd be throwing rocks from a higher vantage point. Gus and Jerry foolishly pursued them, and Gus, still furious from the rock that had hit his ankle, suddenly raced forward and up the hill. He felt rocks whizz by his ear...heard the "zzzzzipppp" as they grazed his skin. Miraculously he made it to the to the top without a mark. But at the top of the hill he realized his mistake...he was now facing four boys with handfuls of rocks...alone! However, as normal bullies go, they are brave only when they go unchallenged. Once challenged, they lose their nerve and run away with their tails between their legs. The boys could have easily overtaken Gus, but they turned on their heels and ran away without turning back.
"Victory!", the brothers thought.
Gus threw one final rock at their backs, and then blinked several times. He had sand in his eyes, and they hurt. He slowly walked down the hill to his brother. They were both shaking from the adrenaline that had been coursing through their bodies. Together they walked to their backpacks and glasses. They were now worried about something else. The girls were probably going to talk to them. Gus didn't know how to talk to girls...he always froze up and became a mute. Jerry wasn't any better. The girls met them at their backpacks. They were of similar age, and the younger one wore horn-rimmed glasses. The older sister smiled shyly and said, "Thank you." Jerry somehow managed to return a lopsided grin, which kind of scared the girls. Gus just stood there, wide eyed and staring, trying to blend in with the environment. After an awkward silence, the brothers picked up their things, and with their best old-western cowboy impressions, they nodded at the girls, and walked off into the sunset. The girls remained standing, staring at the backs of the brothers as they walked away. Then they turned and left, in another direction, never to see their silent rescuers ever again.
The rest of the walk home for Gus and Jerry went by in a flash. They were both walking on air, and discussing what they had just done. They had the feel of superheros and wanted a name for themselves. A few names were thrown around, until finally they decided on a name. That name has lived through Camacho family history, and the story will be told and retold for generations to come. There will never be another story as
The Legend of the Justice Brothers.
